The role of heat-conducting walls in the measurement of heat and mass transport in transient grating experiments

We present a two-dimensional model to account for the role of heat-conducting walls in the measurement of heat transport and Soret-effect-driven mass transport in transient holographic grating experiments. Heat diffusion into the walls leads to non-exponential decay of the temperature grating. Under certain experimental conditions it can be approximated by an exponential function and assigned an apparent thermal diffusivity D_{th, app} < D_{th, s}, where D_th,s is the true thermal diffusivity of the sample. The ratio D_{th, app}/D_{th, s} depends on only three dimensionless parameters, d /l_s, κ_s/κ_w, and D_{th, s}/D_{th, w}. d is the grating period, l_s the sample thickness, κ_s and κ_w the thermal conductivities of sample and wall, respectively, and D_th,w the thermal diffusivity of the wall. If at least two measurements are performed at different d /l_s, both D_th,s and κ_s can be determined. Instead of costly solving PDEs, D_th,s can be obtained by finding the zero of an analytic function. For thin samples and large grating periods, heat conduction into the walls plays a predominant role and the concentration grating in binary mixtures is no longer one-dimensional. Nevertheless, the normalized heterodyne diffraction efficiency of the concentration grating remains unaffected and the true thermal and collective diffusion coefficient and the correct Soret coefficient are still obtained from a simple one-dimensional model.     

High-resolution infrared spectra of HCF3 in the ν6 (500 cm) and 2ν6 (1000 cm) regions: rovibrational analysis and accurate determination of the ground state constants C0 and DK

The high-resolution infrared spectrum of HCF₃ was studied in the ν₆ fundamental (near 500 cm⁻¹) and in the 2ν₆ overtones (near 1000 cm⁻¹) regions. The present study reports on the analysis of the hot bands in the ν₆ region, as well as the first observation and assignment of the 2ν₆² perpendicular band. Using ν₆, 2ν₆^±2–ν₆^±1 and 2ν₆² experimental wavenumbers, accurate coefficients C₀ and D_K⁰ of the K-dependent ground-state energy terms were obtained, using the so-called “loop method.” Ground-state energy differences Δ(K,J)=E₀(K,J)−E₀(K−3,J) were obtained for K=3–30. A least-squares fit of 81 such differences gave the following results (in cm⁻¹): C₀=0.1892550(15); D_K⁰=2.779(26) × 10⁻⁷.     

High-Resolution Infrared Spectra of the ν2, ν3, ν4, and 2ν3 Bands of SO3

New measurements are reported for the infrared spectrum of sulfur trioxide, ³²S¹⁶O₃, with resolutions ranging from 0.0015 cm⁻¹ to 0.0025 cm⁻¹. Rovibrational constants have been measured for the fundamentals ν₂, ν₃, and ν₄ and the overtone band 2ν₃. Comparisons are made with the earlier high-resolution measurements on SO₃, and the high correlation among some of the constants related to the Coriolis coupling of the ν₂ and ν₄ levels is discussed in order to understand the areas of disagreement with the earlier work. Splittings of some of the levels are observed and the splitting constant for K=3 of the ground state is determined for the first time. Other observed splittings include the K=1 levels of 2ν₃ (l=2), the K=2 levels of ν₃ and ν₄, and the K=3 levels of ν₂. The analysis shows that there are level crossings between the l=0 and l=2 states of 2ν₃ that allow one to determine the separation of the subband centers for these two states even though access to the l=0 state from the ground state is electric-dipole forbidden. This is a generalized phenomenon that should be found for many other molecules with the same symmetry. The l-type resonance constant, q₃, that causes the splitting of the l₃=±1, k=±1 levels of ν₃ also couples the l₃=0 and 2 states of 2ν₃.     

Flavor symmetry, K– mixing and new physics effects on CP violation in D and Ds decays

Flavor symmetry and symmetry breaking, K⁰– mixing and possible effects of new physics on CP violation in weak decay modes D^±→K_S,L+X^±, (K_S,L+π⁰)_K^*+X^± (for X=π,ρ,a₁) and D^±_s→K_S,L+X^±_s, (K_S,L+π⁰)_K^*+X^±_s (for X_s=K,K^*) are analyzed. Relations between D^± and D^±_s decay branching ratios are obtained from the ds subgroup of SU(3) and dominant symmetry-breaking mechanisms are investigated. A CP asymmetry of magnitude 3.3×10⁻³ is shown to result in the standard model from K⁰– mixing in the final-state. New physics affecting the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed channels might either cancel this asymmetry or enhance it up to the percent level. A comparison between the CP asymmetries in D^±_(s)→K_SX^±_(s) and D^±_(s)→K_LX^±_(s) can pin down effects of new physics.     

Direct measurement of the pseudoscalar decay constant

The absolute branching fraction for the decay D⁺→μ⁺ν has been directly measured based on a data sample of about 33 pb⁻¹ collected around with the BES-II detector at the BEPC collider. A total of 5321±149±160 D⁻ mesons are reconstructed in nine hadronic decay modes. In the system recoiling against these singly tagged D⁻ mesons, 2.67±1.74 purely leptonic decay events of D⁺→μ⁺ν_μ are observed. Those yield the branching fraction of , and a corresponding value of the pseudoscalar decay constant .     

Studies of the quantum Hall to quantum Hall insulator transition in InSb-based 2DESs

The temperature dependence of ρ_xx is studied in the vicinity of the quantum Hall to quantum Hall insulator transition (ν=1→0) in InSb/InAlSb based 2DESs. ρ_xx displays a symmetric temperature dependence about the transition with on the QH side and on the insulating side. A plot of 1/T₀ for successive ν displays power-law divergence with 1/T₀∝|ν−ν_c|^−γ,² with γ=2.2±0.3. This critical behavior in addition to the behavior expected of the quantum transport regime confirms that the QH/QHI transition is indeed a good quantum phase transition.     

The microwave spectrum of 1-phosphabut-3-ene-1-yne, CH2=CHCP

The new molecule 1-phosphabut-3-ene-1-yne, CH₂=CHCP, produced by pyrolyzing prop-1-ene-3-phosphorus dichloride, CH₂=CHCH₂PCl₂, was detected by microwave spectroscopy. The analysis of the rotational transitions indicates that the molecule is planar with constants: A₀ = 46 694(24), B₀ = 2807.7100(21), and C₀ = 2645.8356(21) MHz. These rotational constants indicate that the structure of the vinyl group is essentially the same as that in CH₂=CHCN and CH₂=CHCCH; r(C---C) = 1.432 Å and (C=C---C) = 123.9°. The dipole moment parameters are μ_A = 1.181(2), μ_B = 0.074(1), and μ = 1.183(2) D. The vibrational satellite spectra for the C---CP bending modes indicate that ν₁₁(a′) = 184 ± 30 cm⁻¹ and ν₁₅(a″) = 263 ± 30 cm⁻¹.     

Spanning Forests and the q-State Potts Model in the Limit q →0

We study the q-state Potts model with nearest-neighbor coupling v=e^βJ−1 in the limit q,v → 0 with the ratio w = v/q held fixed. Combinatorially, this limit gives rise to the generating polynomial of spanning forests; physically, it provides information about the Potts-model phase diagram in the neighborhood of (q,v) = (0,0). We have studied this model on the square and triangular lattices, using a transfer-matrix approach at both real and complex values of w. For both lattices, we have computed the symbolic transfer matrices for cylindrical strips of widths 2≤ L ≤ 10, as well as the limiting curves B of partition-function zeros in the complex w-plane. For real w, we find two distinct phases separated by a transition point w=w₀, where w₀ =−1/4 (resp. w₀=−0.1753 ± 0.0002) for the square (resp. triangular) lattice. For w>w₀ we find a non-critical disordered phase that is compatible with the predicted asymptotic freedom as w → +∞. For w0 our results are compatible with a massless Berker–Kadanoff phase with central charge c=−2 and leading thermal scaling dimension x_T,1 = 2 (marginally irrelevant operator). At w=w₀ we find a “first-order critical point”: the first derivative of the free energy is discontinuous at w₀, while the correlation length diverges as w↓ w₀ (and is infinite at w=w₀). The critical ehavior at w=w₀ seems to be the same for both lattices and it differs from that of the Berker–Kadanoff phase: our results suggest that the central charge is c=−1, the leading thermal scaling dimension is x_T,1=0, and the critical exponents are ν=1/d=1/2 and α=1.     

An energy-momentum tensor in gauge theories

We consider the renormalization of the twist two, dimension four gauge invariant operator O_μν⁽¹⁾ = − F_μσF_νσ − g_{μν 0}. By using the general theory of renormalization of gauge invariant operators, we find the gauge noninvariant operator O⁽²⁾ with which it mixes. We construct a finite combination of O⁽¹⁾ and O⁽²⁾ and show that it is an acceptable energy momentum tensor for gauge theories. We compare our energy momentum tensor with that constructed by Freedman, Muzinich, and Weinberg.     

Measurement of Vcb from the decay process

A new precise measurement of |V_cb| and of the branching ratio BR ) has been performed using a sample of about 5000 semileptonic decays , selected by the DELPHI detector at LEP I by tagging the soft pion from D^*+→D⁰π⁺. The results are: V_cb=(39.0±1.5 (stat.)^+2.5_−2.6 (syst. exp.)±1.3 (syst. th.))×10⁻³,

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. The analytic dependencies of the differential cross-section and of the Isgur–Wise form factor as functions of the variable w=v_B⁰·v_D^* have also been obtained by unfolding the experimental resolution.     

Transition dipole moment measurements for the ν2 band of NH3 with molecular beam laser Stark spectroscopy

Rabi oscillations were observed in the ASR(110), ΔM = 0 and ASQ(222), ΔM = 0 transitions of the ν₂ band of ¹⁴NH₃ in a molecular beam crossed by a CO₂ laser beam. The frequency (in terms of the laser field amplitude) of the oscillations was used to determine the transition dipole moment of the ν₂ band, yielding μ_s←a = 0.261 ± 0.006 D. The hyperfine structure due to the electric quadrupole interaction of the nitrogen nucleus was clearly resolved.     

Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy, High-Resolution Infrared Spectrum, ab Initio Calculations, and Molecular Geometry of FPS

The transient thiophosphenous fluoride FPS was produced by pyrolysis of 2.5% F₂PSPF₂ in Ar at 1300–1800°C. High-resolution (≥0.004 cm⁻¹) Fourier transform infrared spectra of the a-type ν₁ and b-type ν₂ bands, centered respectively at 803.249 and 726.268 cm⁻¹, were measured and fitted to rotational and quartic centrifugal distortion parameters. The millimeter-wave spectrum, essentially b-type, was measured between 300 and 370 GHz in the ground state and in the ν₃ excited state for FP³²S and in the ground state for FP³⁴S. The frequencies were fitted to a Watson-type A-reduced Hamiltonian up to sextic distortion terms. High level ab initio calculations with large basis sets were performed on FPS and supported the first identification of its infrared and millimeter wave spectra. The calculated anharmonic force field provided precise ab initio rovibrational α constants which were combined with the experimental molecular parameters to determine an accurate equilibrium structure of the molecule: r_e(PS)=188.86 pm, r_e(PF)=158.70 pm, θ(FPS)=109.28°. The collision-controlled 1/e lifetime measured in a 10-Pa (1 : 20) F₂PSPF₂/Ar mixture was 2 s, more than two orders of magnitude larger than that of FPO under the same experimental conditions.     

The rotational-vibrational spectra of HNCS and DNCS : An analysis of the high resolution spectra

Ro-vibrational spectra of HNCS and DNCS have been obtained in the spectral range 300–4000 cm⁻¹ with a practical resolution limit of 0.06 cm⁻¹ in the region 350–1200 cm⁻¹ and 0.15 cm⁻¹ in the region 1200–4000 cm⁻¹. The observed fine structure permitted definitive assignments for some of the ^PQ_K, ^QQ_K, and ^RQ_K branches in both molecules, and yielded sets of rotational constants in substantial agreement with those obtained from recent microwave and far-infrared studies. Precise estimates of the band origins have been obtained and there is evidence of second-order Coriolis coupling between the three bending modes in each molecule. The isolation of the out-of-plane bending modes has lead to a re-assignment of ν₃, ν₄, ν₅, and ν₆ for each molecule. The band origins, uncorrected for Coriolis interaction, are for HNCS and DNCS, respectively. v₁:3538.6 ±0.3, 2644.5±0.5cm⁻¹;v₂:1989.0 ±0.3, 1944.3±0.5cm⁻¹;v₃:857.0 ±0.6, 851.0±0.1cm⁻¹;v₄:615.0 ±0.5, 549.1±0.2cm⁻¹;v₅:469.2 ±0.1, 365.8 ±0.2cm⁻¹;v₆:539.2 ±0.5, 481.0±0.1cm⁻¹;     

Further evidence for neutrino oscillations from LSND: the νμ → νe decay-in-flight channel

A search for ν_μ → ν_e oscillations has been conducted at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) using ν_μ from π⁺ decay in flight. An excess in the number of beam-related events from the ν_e C → e⁻ X inclusive reaction is observed. The excess is too large to be explained by normal ν_e contamination in the beam at a confidence level greater than 99%. If interpreted as an oscillation signal, the observed oscillation probability of (2.6 ± 1.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁻³ is consistent with the previously reported oscillation evidence from LSND.     

The 2ν8 Band of CH3CN

The overtone band 2ν⁰₈ of CH₃CN around 720 cm⁻¹ has been measured on a Bruker Fourier transform spectrometer at a resolution of 0.003 cm⁻¹. Only the parallel band was observed, but due to the l(2, 2) resonance, ΔK = −2 lines leading to the v₈ = 2, l₈ = −2 levels with K = 1-3 could be seen. More information for the l₈ = ±2 component of the vibrational state v₈ = 2 was evaluated from the hot band 2ν^±2₈ - ν^±1₈. Altogether more than 1000 lines were assigned. In the fit pure rotational lines from literature were also combined. Among the results the anomalous A₀ - A′ values 4.6722(13) × 10⁻³ cm⁻¹ for the 2ν⁰₈ band and 7.0324(32) × 10⁻³ cm⁻¹ for the 2ν^±2₈ band are striking.     

Diffusion of titanium atoms in Ni-Si-B metallic glass

The diffusion ot Ti atoms in the Ni₇₇Si₃B₂₀ metallic glass was studied by the Auger electron spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient obeys the Arrhenius relation with the activation energyE=1·7 eV and the pre-exponential factorD ₀=0·86 × ×10^–4 m² s^–1. Possible mechanisms of the atomic transport in metallic glasses are discussedThe authors wish to thank Dr. P. Duhaj for providing the metallic glass samples.     

High-resolution infrared study of the 2ν3 (A1, E) and ν1 + ν3 (E) bands of NF3

The 2ν₃ overtone (A₁, E) and the ν₁ + ν₃ (E) combination bands of the oblate symmetric top ¹⁴NF₃ were studied by FTIR spectroscopy with a resolution of 2.5 × 10⁻³ cm⁻¹. Nearly 500 lines up to K_max/J_max = 30/43 were observed for the weak A₁ component reaching the v₃ = 2⁰ substate (1803.1302 cm⁻¹), the majority of which corresponded to reinforced K = 3p-type transitions. For the strong E component reaching the v₃ = 2^±2 substate (1810.4239 cm⁻¹), about 3550 transitions were assigned up to K_max/J_max = 65/69, favoring a clear observation of the ℓ(4, −2) and ℓ(4, 4) splittings within the kℓ = −2 and +4 sublevels, respectively. The two v₃ = 2 substates are linked by the ℓ(2, 2)- and ℓ(2, −1)-type interactions, providing severe crossings, respectively, at K′ = 6 and near K′ = 24 on the v₃ = 2⁺² side. A model working in the D-reduction and including all these ℓ-type interactions could reproduce together 3695 nonzero weighted experimental data (NZW) through 33 free parameters with a standard deviation of σ = 0.357 × 10⁻³  cm⁻¹. As for the ν₁ + ν₃ (E) combination band, about 3690 lines were assigned up to K_max/J_max = 45/55. Its v₁ = v₃ = 1 upper state (1931.577 5 cm⁻¹) was treated using the same model recently applied to the v₃ = 1 (E, 907.5413 cm⁻¹) state. It yielded 21 free parameters through 3282 NZW experimental data, adjusted with σ = 0.344 × 10⁻³  cm⁻¹ in the D-reduction. For the two excited states, the small and unobserved ℓ(0, 6) interaction was tested as useless. To confirm the adequacy of the vibrationally isolated models used, some other reductions of the Hamiltonian were tried. For the v₃ = 2 state, the D-, L-, and LD-reductions led to similar σ’s, while the Q one was not successful. For the v₁ = v₃ = 1 state, the D- and Q-reductions gave comparable σ’s, while the QD-reduction was not as good. The corresponding unitary equivalence relations are generally more nicely fulfilled for the v₃ = 2 state than for the v₁ = v₃ = 1 state. The three derivable anharmonicity constants in cm⁻¹ are x₃₃ = −4.1528, g₃₃ = +1.8235 and x₁₃ = −7.9652.     

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Methyl Isocyanide: The ν3, ν6, and ν7 + ν8 Bands

The vibration-rotation spectrum of methyl isocyanide (CH₃NC) has been recorded with the aid of a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer in the region 1370 to 1560 cm⁻¹ containing the perpendicular band of the fundamental vibration ν₆ (species E), the weaker parallel band of the ν₃ (A₁) fundamental, and the perpendicular combination band ν₇ + ν₈ (E) enhanced by Fermi resonance with ν₆. Sixteen hundred seventy well-resolved lines were assigned to 15 subbands of ν₆, 6 subbands of ν₃, and 3 subbands of ν⁻₇ + ν⁻₈. A strong x, y-Coriolis resonance between ν₃ and ν₆ and Fermi resonance between ν^±₆ and the E component ν₇ + ν₈, as well as between ν₃ and the A_1,2 components ν^±₇ + ν₈, greatly affects the spectrum. Additional weaker anharmonic interaction of ν₆ with the ν₄ + 2ν²₈ combination and higher-order rotational interactions connecting the various states were also detected in the spectrum. All of these interactions have been incorporated into a 9 × 9 Hamiltonian matrix used for modeling the upper states of the observed transitions. A set of spectroscopic constants is reported for the upper states of the bands ν₃, ν₆, and ν₇ + ν₈ and for ν₄ + 2ν²₈ which reproduces the observed lines with an overall standard deviation of 0.0012 cm⁻¹.     

Volume and grain boundary diffusion of implanted 113Sn in aluminium

Volume and grain boundary diffusion of ¹¹³Sn in aluminium was investigated with the radiotracer method. The implantation technique was used for tracer deposition to avoid problems of tracer hold-up caused by the oxide layer always present on aluminium. The diffusion penetration was chosen large enough to permit serial sectioning of samples with the aid of a microtome.The temperature dependence of the volume diffusivity was determined as D(T)=4.54×10^–5×exp[–(114.5±1.2)kJmol^–1/RT] m ² s ^–1. This confirms previous measurements from our group which already showed that Sn is the fastest foreign metal diffusor so far investigated in aluminium.Grain boundary diffusion of ¹¹³Sn in Al polycrystals was measured in the type-B kinetic regime. The grain boundary diffusion product P=sD _gb (s=segregation factor, =grain boundary width, D _gb=grain boundary diffusivity) was found to be strongly affected by the impurity content of aluminium. For Al polycrystals of 99.9992% nominal purity we obtained P _5N(T)=1.08×10^–8exp [–(96.9±7.5) kJ mol^–1/RT] m³ s^–1 and for less pure Al polycrystals of 99.99% nominal purity P _4N(T)=3.0×10^–10 exp [–(90.1±4.2) kJ mol^–1/RT] m³ s^–1 was determined. The grain boundary diffusion product in the purer material is more than one order of magnitude higher than in the less pure material. Very likely this is an effect of co-segregation of non-diffusant impurities into the grain boundaries.     

Line Intensities in the ν1, ν3, and 2ν2 Bands of H2Se

Using a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrum of hydrogen selenide in natural abundance, about 600 intensities of lines belonging to the ν₁, ν₃, and 2ν₂ bands of H₂⁸⁰Se were measured. A least-squares fit of these intensities was performed, allowing determination of the vibrational transition moments of these bands and their rotational corrections. Finally, the first derivatives of the dipole moment with respect to the normal coordinates q₁ and q₃ were found to be ∂μ_χ/∂q₁ = (−0.5938 ± 0.010) × 10⁻¹ and ∂μ_z/∂q₃ = (0.5683 ± 0.010) × 10⁻¹ Debye, respectively.