Numerical investigation of the accuracy of particle image velocimetry technique in gas-phase detonations

We numerically investigate the accuracy of the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique for the flow characterization in high-speed, compressible regimes, in particular in gas-phase detonations. We carry out synthetic PIV reconstruction of the flow field in a two-dimensional, planar detonation propagating under atmospheric conditions and modelled using single-step Arrhenius kinetics. The flow is uniformly seeded with monodispersed Al₂O₃ particles with sizes 50 and 200 nm, along with initially co-located massless Lagrangian tracer particles. The effect of massive particles on the detonation speed and thermodynamic state of the flow is investigated and is found to be negligible. We further assess the ability of massive particles to sample the flow field and while it is found that 50 nm particles sample the flow field better than the 200 nm ones, they also exhibit significant clustering. By comparing the trajectories of massive particles with those of massless tracers, it is shown that almost all massive particles rapidly diverge from the actual flow pathlines. Finally, we quantify the accuracy of the PIV reconstruction of the velocity field in comparison with the actual velocity field in the numerical simulations. It is shown that while PIV is generally capable of capturing the bulk flow features in the streamwise direction, its accuracy is not sufficient to characterize the transverse velocity component or velocity fluctuations.     

Hydroxide Ion Initiated Reactions Under Phase Transfer Catalysis Conditions: Mechanism and Implications. New Synthetic Methods (62)

The development of Phase Transfer Catalysis (PTC) represents a major step forward in the employment of many organic reactions and renders them very convenient and useful processes. These reactions involve the application of nucleophiles in general, anions and bases in particular, in reactions carried out in a water-organic solvent system. They can be performed both in the laboratory and on an industrial scale. The ease of application of PTC processes is the main reason for their increasing utilization in industry. An outstanding achievement of this technique is the employment of aqueous bases in reactions which traditionally would otherwise require a strong base in a nonaqueous medium. The classical procedures that require severe anhydrous conditions, expensive solvents and dangerous bases such as metal hydrides and organometallic reagents are now replaced by aqueous solutions of, e.g., sodium or potassium hydroxides (PTC/OH processes). In contrast to the extensive synthetic applications of PTC/OH systems, the detailed mechanisms of these processes have been the subject of a great deal of controversy and various mechanisms have been suggested. However, it would seem that our knowledge concerning the mechanistic aspects of such reactions has now reached the stage where it can be used to advantage in synthesis planning. A better understanding of the various factors which influence the reaction would undoubtedly help to optimize PTC/OH processes such as to enable higher yields in shorter reaction times at lower temperatures. The importance of, inter alia, the catalyst will be pointed out and it is highly recommended that such catalysts be always available in the laboratory, for the range of organic reactions that they can efficiently, conveniently and safely catalyze is vast indeed.     

Surface States and Spectra

Let ℤ₊ ^{d +1}= ℤ⁺×ℤ₊, let H ₀ be the discrete Laplacian on the Hilbert space l ²(ℤ₊ ^{d +1}) with a Dirichlet boundary condition, and let V be a potential supported on the boundary ∂ℤ₊ ^{d +1}. We introduce the notions of surface states and surface spectrum of the operator H=H ₀+V and explore their properties. Our main result is that if the potential V is random and if the disorder is either large or small enough, then in dimension two H has no surface spectrum on σ(H ₀) with probability one. To prove this result we combine Aizenman–Molchanov theory with techniques of scattering theory. Received: 18 September 2000 / Accepted: 21 November 2000     

Compatibility of cast search with axionlike interpretation of PVLAS results

The PVLAS Collaboration has results that may be interpreted in terms of a light axionlike particle, while the CAST Collaboration has not found any signal of such particles. We propose a particle physics model with paraphotons and with a low energy scale in which this apparent inconsistency is circumvented.     

Real-time data gathering in sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks represent a new generation of real-time traffic communications and high data rate sensor applications, such as structural health monitoring and control. We study some problems related to data gathering in sensor networks when the sensors collect the sensed data about their environment and this information should be delivered to a collecting central Base Station. We prove that scheduling messages through the network to minimize the maximal delivery time with restrictions on the total idle time allowed is NP-hard. We also refer to a special case of linear network topology for which we present two polynomial time optimization algorithms: One is for minimizing the maximal lateness and maximal delay, while the other is for minimizing the number of tardy messages.     

Electronic structure of methoxy-, bromo-, and nitrobenzene grafted onto Si(111)

The properties of Si(111) surfaces grafted with benzene derivatives were investigated using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The investigated materials were nitro-, bromo-, and methoxybenzene layers (-C(6)H(4)-X, with X = NO(2), Br, O-CH(3)) deposited from diazonium salt solutions in a potentiostatic electrochemical process. The UPS spectra of the valence band region are governed by the molecular orbital density of states of the adsorbates, which is modified from the isolated state in the gas phase due to molecule-molecule and molecule-substrate interaction. Depending on the adsorbate, clearly different emission features are observed. The analysis of XPS intensities clearly proves multilayer formation for bromo- and nitrobenzene in agreement with the amount of charge transferred during the grafting process. Methoxybenzene forms only a sub-monolayer coverage. The detailed analysis of binding energy shifts of the XPS emissions for determining the band bending and the secondary electron onset in UPS spectra for determining the work function allow one to discriminate between surface dipole layers--changing the electron affinity--and band bending, affecting only the work function. Thus, complete energy band diagrams of the grafted Si(111) surfaces can be constructed. It was found that silicon surface engineering can be accomplished by the electrochemical grafting process using nitrobenzene and bromobenzene: silicon-derived interface gap states are chemically passivated, and the adsorbate-related surface dipole effects an increase of the electron affinity.