Microtraps and Atom Chips: Toolboxes for Cold Atom Physics

Magnetic microtraps and Atom Chips are safe, small-scale, reliable and flexible tools to prepare ultra-cold and degenerate atom clouds as sources for various atom-optical experiments. We present an overview of the possibilities of the devices and indicate how a microtrap can be used to prepare and launch a Bose-Einstein condensate for use in an atom clock or an interferometer.     

Intramolecular cycloaddition/cycloreversion of (E)-3β,17β-diacetoxy-5,10-secoandrost-1(10)-en-5-one

Treatment of 3β,17β-diacetoxy-5,10-secoandrost-1(10)-en-5-one with BF₃·Et₂O was shown to proceed with cleavage of the macrocycle and formation of a new compound containing a cyclopentenone ring. Based on DFT calculations, an intramolecular Lewis acid promoted [2+2]cycloaddition, followed by a cycloreversion of the intermediate oxetane, is proposed as a possible reaction mechanism.     

Thermodynamic and biodistribution studies of Zn(II), Ca(II), Gd(III) and Cu(II) complexes of 3,3,9,9-tetramethyl-4,8-diazaundecane-2,10-dione dioxime

The thermodynamic equilibria of copper(II), zinc(II), calcium(II) and gadolinium(III) with 3,3,9,9-tetramethyl-4,8-diazaundecane-2,10-dione dioxime (L1) have been studied at 25 degrees C and an ionic strength of 0.15 mol dm(-3). Copper and gadolinium form stable complexes with the ligand while the corresponding zinc species are more than 9 log units less stable. No complexes between calcium and the ligand were detected. The low binding strength of L1 towards zinc is attributed to the square-planar coordination geometry forced on the metal ion by the ligand as revealed by molecular mechanics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Speciation calculations, using a computer model of blood plasma, indicate that, despite the high concentration of zinc(II) and calcium(II) in vivo, L1 is able to increase the low-molecular-mass fraction of copper in plasma. Octanol/water partition coefficient of [CuL1H(-1)] indicates that although this species is largely hydrophilic, approximately 6% of the complex goes into the octanol phase and hence may promote dermal absorption of copper by the same amount. The dermal penetration rate is calculated to be 4.0 x 10(-4) mm h(-1). The [CuL1H(-1)] complex, which predominates at pH 7.4, is a poor mimic of native copper-zinc superoxide dismutase. Biodistribution experiments using the 64Cu-labelled [CuL1H(-1)] complex indicate an initial high uptake of this species in the liver followed by redistribution into muscle. Only a small amount is excreted through the urine.     

The influence of the band structure of epitaxial graphene on SiC on the transistor characteristics

We fabricated high-mobility field-effect transistors based on epitaxial graphene synthesized by vacuum graphitization of both the Si- and C-faces of SiC. Room-temperature field-effect mobilities >4000 cm²/V s for both electrons and holes were achieved, although with wide distributions. By using a high-k gate dielectric, we were able to measure the transistor characteristics in a wide carrier density range, where the mobility is seen to decrease as the carrier density increases. We formulate a simple semiclassical model of electrical transport in graphene, and explain the sublinear dependence of conductivity on carrier density from the view point of the few-layer graphene energy band structure. Our analysis reveals important differences between the few-layer graphene energy dispersions on the SiC Si- and C-faces, providing the first evidence based on electrical device characteristics for the theoretically proposed energy dispersion difference between graphene synthesized on these two faces of SiC.