Large magnetic field effect on back electron transfer from uncharged radical to its cationic partner in anionic micelle

The magnetic field effect (MFE) on the radical pair (RP) generated by photoexcitation of the acetyl derivative of phenyl pyrylium ion (APP⁺) in the presence of biphenyl, an electron donor, has been investigated. The escape yield at 3.5 T is more than ten times the zero-field value. The MFE reaches near-saturation twice, once at fields of the order of 10mT and again at about 3.5 T. The low-field variation of the MFE conforms to the pattern expected for the isotropic HFC mechanism, and the high-field variation to that expected for the relaxation mechanism. In this particular system two types of radical pair are generated, one by electron transfer from the donor to the acceptor and another by H-abstraction from the micelle. The MFEs on the two types of ³RP have been compared.     

The role of the Jacobi last multiplier and isochronous systems

We employ Jacobi’s last multiplier (JLM) to study planar differential systems. In particular, we examine its role in the transformation of the temporal variable for a system of ODEs originally analysed by Calogero–Leyvraz in course of their identification of isochronous systems. We also show that JLM simplifies to a great extent the proofs of isochronicity for the Liénard-type equations.     

Subwavelength propagation and localization of light using surface plasmons: A brief perspective

Surface plasmons at the metal–dielectric interface have emerged as an important candidate to propagate and localize light at subwavelength scales. By tailoring the geometry and arrangement of metallic nanoarchitectures, propagating and localized surface plasmons can be obtained. In this brief perspective, we discuss: (1) how surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and localized surface plasmons (LSPs) can be optically excited in metallic nanoarchitectures by employing a variety of optical microscopy methods; (2) how SPPs and LSPs in plasmonic nanowires can be utilized for subwavelength polarization optics and single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on a photonic chip; and (3) how individual plasmonic nanowire can be optically manipulated using optical trapping methods.