Aquarian Comets: the Origin of the Oceans

When comets such as Hale-Bopp pass close to the Eath they bring clues to the origins of the solar system; and like all great travellers they tell stories of lost world before heading off again to distant much more than tales. They might have brought the right conditions for the origine of life itselfIn an edited version of a talk given at Uppsala university, Sweden in May Hans Rickman describes how comets might have brought the oceans from distant parts of the solar system and, opposite, a brief report of the lateston the theory     

钛宝石飞秒激光振荡器的稳定性改善

对钛宝石飞秒激光器脉冲序列的强度和时间的稳定性进行了分析.实验比较了钛宝石飞秒激光器底板有无水冷的条件下,输出锁模脉冲序列的稳定性以及中心波长和光谱宽度的变化.结果表明对钛宝石飞秒激光器底板施加水冷可改善锁模脉冲的稳定性. 关键词： 钛宝石激光器 稳定性 飞秒脉冲     

Letter: On the Solutions of the Lorentz-Dirac Equation

We discuss the unstable character of the solutions of the Lorentz-Dirac equation and stress the need of methods like order reduction to derive a physically acceptable equation of motion. The discussion is illustrated with the paradigmatic example of the non-relativistic harmonic oscillator with radiation reaction. We also illustrate the removal of the noncausal pre-acceleration with the introduction of a small correction in the Lorentz-Dirac equation.     

Spectroscopy of the Hubbard dimer: the spectral potential

The spectral potential is the dynamical generalization of the Kohn–Sham potential. It targets, in principle exactly, the spectral function in addition to the electronic density. Here we examine the spectral potential in one of the simplest solvable models exhibiting a non-trivial interplay between electron-electron interaction and inhomogeneity, namely the asymmetric Hubbard dimer. We discuss a general strategy to introduce approximations, which consists in calculating the spectral potential in the homogeneous limit (here represented by the symmetric Hubbard dimer) and importing it in the real inhomogeneous system through a suitable “connector”. The comparison of different levels of approximation to the spectral potential with the exact solution of the asymmetric Hubbard dimer gives insights about the advantages and the difficulties of this connector strategy for applications in real materials.     

Ultrastructure of the mature spermatozoon of the bivalve Scapharca broughtoni (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Arcidae)

The ultrastructure of mature spermatozoa of the giant clam bivalve Scapharca broughtoni was investigated by transmission electron microscopy for the first time. The mature spermatozoon consists of a head which is composed of a cone-shaped acrosome, a round nucleus, and a tail region. A subacrosomal space contains an axial rod and a basal plate, the latter lying between the acrosome and the nucleus. Although the nucleus lacks an anterior invagination, an inverted shallow V-shaped posterior invagination is present within the nucleus. Within the middle portion of the spermatozoon lie five spherical mitochondria while the long whip-like end portion is composed of an axoneme with the typical 9 + 2 structure. Our conclusion is that the spermatozoon of S. broughtoni is of the type I anacrosomal “aquasperm”, and the morphology of acrosome and nucleus are an adaptation to external fertilization.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the static susceptibility of the spin-glass systems Ag:Mn,Au:Mn,Cu:Mn and Au:Fe

Previous studies of the magnetic susceptibility of a Ag-3 at.% Mn spin-glass under high pressure are extended to include the systems Au-3at.% Mn, Cu-3at.% Mn and Au-3at.% Fe. In all four alloys the spin-glass freezing temperatureT ₀ increases with pressure, yielding the volume dependences lnT ₀/ lnV=–3.6±0.4, –4.1±0.6, –2.1±0.4 and –1.64±0.25, respectively. These results give information about the nature of the interaction mechanisms responsible for the spin-glass freezing phenomena. The pressure dependence of the Curie temperature of ferromagnetic Au-20at.% Fe was also studied.Dedicated to B. Mühlschlegel on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Large-scale simulations of a-Si:H: the origin of midgap states revisited

Large-scale classical and quantum simulations are used to generate a-Si:H structures. The bond-resolved density of the occupied electron states discloses the nature of microscopic defects responsible for levels in the gap. Highly strained bonds give rise to band tails and midgap states. The latter originate mainly from stretched bonds, in addition to dangling bonds, and can act as hole traps. This study provides strong evidence for photoinduced degradation (Staebler-Wronski effect) driven by strain, thus supporting recent work on a-Si, and sheds light on the role of hydrogen.     

On the origin of the visible emission in KBr:Tl and KCl:Tl crystals

The intensity of the visible emission of KBr:Tl at 440 nm is shown to increase linearly with the absorption in the A₁ band at 4.64 eV (267 nm). The latter band increased with the square of the Tl⁺ ions concentration, which supports its assignment to thallium dimers. Similarities in behavior between the 440 nm emission of KBr:Tl and the 475 nm emission of KCl:Tl suggest that the latter is also related to dimers. This is supported by the superlinear dependence of this emission on the Tl⁺ ion concentration. Deviations ofthe superlinearity from the square dependence expected for dimers is explained by the overlap between the weak dimer absorption and the very strong A-band.The 440 nm emission of KBr:Tl was found to be excited only in the A₁ component of the dimer absorption and not in the stronger A₂ component. This indicates that the emission process may be compound.     

On the mechanism of carbon nanotube formation: the role of the catalyst

This work examines the recent developments in non-traditional catalyst-assisted chemical vapour deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a view to determining the essential role of the catalyst in nanotube growth. A brief overview of the techniques reliant on the structural reorganization of carbon to form CNTs is provided. Additionally, CNT synthesis methods based upon ceramic, noble metal, and semiconducting nanoparticle catalysts are presented. Experimental evidence is provided for CNT growth using noble metal and semiconducting nanoparticle catalysts. A model for CNT growth consistent with the experimental results is proposed, in which the structural reorganization of carbon to form CNTs is paramount.     

On the spectrum of the space cut-off :P(ϕ):Hamiltonian in two space-time dimensions

We use the method of the asymptotic fields to study the spectrum of the space cut-off :P(): Hamiltonian in two space time dimensions, whereP is a semibounded polynomial.This research is partially sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Contract AF 49(638)1545.On leave from Matematisk Institutt, Oslo University, Norway.     

Republication of: On the physical significance of the Riemann tensor

This Golden Oldie is a reprinting of a paper by F. A. E. Pirani first published in 1956. It is accompanied by a reprinting of a paper by J. L. Synge first published in 1934. Together these papers pointed the way to the interpretation of geodesic deviation and its relation to the curvature tensor. These two Golden Oldies are accompanied by an Golden Oldie Editorial containing an editorial note written by A. Trautman, and by the biography of F. Pirani written by himself and commented by A. Trautman. An editorial note to this paper and a biography can be found in this issue preceding this Golden Oldie and online via doi:. Original paper: F. A. E. Pirani, Acta Physica Polonica 15, 389–405 (1956). Reprinted with the kind permission of the Editors of Acta Physica Polonica, and of Felix Pirani.     

Republication of: On the gravitational stability of the expanding universe

This is the republished English edition of a paper by E. Lifshitz, first published in 1946, in which the author investigates the gravitational stability of the non–stationary isotropic models of the universe. The paper has been selected by the Editors of General Relativity and Gravitation for re-publication in the Golden Oldies series of the journal. This republication is accompanied by an editorial note written by George F. R. Ellis, and by a brief biography of Evgenii Mikhailovich Lifshitz, written by Andrzej Krasiński.