Commentary on “Mechanical properties of monodomain side-chain nematic elastomers” by P. Martinoty,P. Stein,H. Finkelmann,H. Pleiner and H.R. Brand

We discuss the background to static and dynamic soft elasticity. The evidence in the static case and the symmetry basis for soft and semi-soft elasticity is well understood. By contrast the dynamic analogy is less clear. Lack of clean time scale separation clouds the interpretation of director relaxation keeping up, or not, with imposed strains. However, the reduction in modulus between geometries obtaining at low frequencies and being lost at high frequencies confirms that director reaction indeed determines dynamical semi-softness.Received: 13 April 2004, Published online: 17 August 2004PACS: 83.80.Va Elastomeric polymers - 61.30.-v Liquid crystals - 83.60.Bc Linear viscoelasticity     

Comment on “The growth of Fe overlayers on Ag(100)” by G.C. Smith,H.A. Padmore and C. Norris

Smith, Padmore and Norris have claimed that the first three monolayers of Fe grown at room temperature on Ag(100) form a strained fcc γ-Fe layer for which the mismatch to the substrate is 11%. We point out a simple error in their calculations of mismatch, and suggest instead that such growth produces a bcc α-Fe(100) film, for which the mismatch to the substrate is only 0.8%.     

Comment on “Foam imbibition in microgravity. An experimental study” by H. Caps,H. Decauwer,M.-L. Chevalier,G. Soyez,M. Ausloos and N. Vandewalle

In a recent paper, [1] described parabolic flight experiments showing the movement of liquid into the foam during the microgravity phase. In this comment, we present a detailed theory of this process, supported by numerical calculations, confirming their conclusion that the wetting front moves with the square root of time. We further show that this diffusion process is similar for different surfactant systems, which allows us to provide bounds on the value of the diffusion coefficient.Received: 28 April 2004, Published online: 3 August 2004PACS: 82.70.Rr Aerosols and foams - 83.80.Iz Emulsions and foams     

Comment on ‘Cr LVV Auger emission and photoreduction of hexavalent Cr oxides by A.G. Schrott,G.S. Frankel,A.J. Davenport,H.S. Isaacs,C.V. Jahnes and M.A. Russak’

A paper by Schrott et al. [Surf. Sci. 250 (1991) 139] on the Auger Cr LVV spectra of Al/Cr alloys is commented on.The area of major disagreement regards the hypothesis that Al-alloying suppresses the Cr LVV decay. It is pointed out that the surface chemical composition of the alloys should be considered in detail, and that instrumental factors and the presence of surface contamination would account for the negligible Cr LVV intensity.     

Comment on ‘Lifetime broadening in angle-resolved photoemission’ by A.B. McLean,C.E.J. Mitchell and I.G. Hill

In a recent letter [A.B. McLean, C.E.J. Mitchell and I.G. Hill, Surf. Sci. 314 (1994) L925] it was suggested that life-time broadening alone could explain why surface state photoemission line-widths have been observed to increase as the initial states approach the Fermi level. I wish to point out that the used model is unphysical, that the agreement with experimental data is quite fortuitous, and that the experimental observations are satisfactorily understood in terms of established models.     

Ultracold Gases and Quantum Information: Lecture Notes of the Les Houches Summer School in Singapore,edited by C. Miniatura,L-C. Kwek,M. Ducloy,B. Grémaud,B-G. Englert,L.F. Cugliandolo,A. Ekert and K. K. Phua

Measurements of the Faraday magneto-optical effect and of optical absorption in magnetic garnet crystals and films are reviewed. Earlier work was restricted to measurements in the visible spectrum; these measurements showed that the transparency was sufficient to allow magnetic domains to be studied in relatively thick slabs. Within the last year or so interest has been renewed in extending magneto-optical measurements beyond the visible spectrum. In particular, extremely low absorptions are found in the wavelength range of approximately 1–5 microns. Thie work is, in no small way, spurred by the possibility of developing a light-beam modulator using the Faraday effect in this wavelength range. Recent measurements at very short wavelengths using garnet films are also reported. By extending the short wavelength measurements to 3000 Å, about two orders of magnitude increase in Fareday rotation and optical absorption are observed, compared with the visible spectrum measurements.

The Faraday effect has been used to measure magnetic hysteresis loops in single-crystal garnet slabs. Magneto-optical observation of the corresponding domain structures shows them to be particularly simple. Detailed correlation of domain structure and hysteresis loops is described; in addition, an estimate of the domain wall energy and its width is made from these measurements.

The garnets referred to in this review are yttrium iron garnet (YIG), gadolinium iron garnet (GdIG), and YIG doped with gallium (YGaIG).