Study of dipole dynamics and pre-transitional effects at isotropic to nematic phase transition by low-frequency dielectric relaxation measurements

Thermal microscopy (TM) as well as low-frequency (LF) dielectric relaxation studies are carried out on a nematic liquid crystal (NLC), viz E7 (Merck Ltd, UK). The isotropic to nematic (IN) transition temperatureT _IN determined by TM and LF-dielectric permittivity measurements agrees with the available data. Dielectric loss studies in the frequency region of 5–10?MHz indicate a relaxation (in the kHz region) akin to Debye type off-centered dispersion. The observed nematic relaxation is found to correspond to reorientation (about the short axis) of the nematic dipole to the external field. The temperature variation of the nematic relaxation frequencyf _R is found to follow an Arrhenius shift, with an activation energy of 1.7?eV. Temperature variation of the dielectric strength (Δε = ε _o ? ε_∞) and the distribution parameter α in the nematic phase are discussed. The dynamic response of the nematic dipoles and growth of pre-transitional fluctuations are found to be nonlinear in the vicinity of the IN transition. The value of the exponent α_eff = 0.072 indicates weak growth of transitional fluctuations across the IN transition.     

Field-induced transition from homeotropic to planar geometry in the SmC* phase of an electroclinic liquid crystal

The optical and electrical behavior was investigated of a symmetric liquid crystal (LC) cell: ITO–silane–LC–silane–ITO. The silane layer induces a perfect homeotropic alignment of the molecules of the studied electroclinic liquid crystal (ELC) material, BDH 764E. A field-induced transition from the perfect homeotropic to planar orientation in the chiral smectic C (SmC*) and smectic A (SmA) phases of the ELC was observed. Optical and dielectric studies were performed for both alignment (geometry) modes. The field-induced transition from the homeotropic to planar orientation was studied vis-à-vis the high negative dielectric anisotropy obtained in the studied material. Such an ELC with large negative dielectric anisotropy and perfect homeotropic alignment may have important implications for modern LC display technology.     

Numerical study of the heat transfer and electro-thermo-convective flow patterns in dielectric liquid layer subjected to unipolar injection

In this article we study the electro-thermal convection in a dielectric liquid layer placed between two electrodes and subjected to the simultaneous action of an electric field and a thermal gradient. The full set of equations describing the electro-thermo-convective phenomena is directly solved using a finite volume method. We first heat the liquid from below at time t = 0, wait for the thermal steady state and then inject the electric charges by applying the electric potential. The development of the electro-convective motion is analysed in detail in two cases: 1) strong injection from the lower electrode, 2) strong injection from the upper one. We also study the heat transfer enhancement due to electro-convection. The evolution in time of the Nusselt number Nu for different combinations of the two usual non-dimensional parameters associated to the electro-thermo-convection phenomena (Rayleigh number Ra and the electrical parameter T) is also given and analysed.     

Experimental investigation of fully developed falling film flow in the presence of conduction pumps

Conduction pumping is appropriate way for liquid pumping due to its benefits like being noise free and easy controlling. In the present work fully developed falling film flow in the presence of conduction pumps has been experimentally investigated. Two different arrangements were selected and Transformer oil was used. Results indicated that, applying electric field would decrease thickness of falling film in wide range of Re number. The variation of wave's frequency and velocity regarding to Re number is also presented and compared for arrangements. Conduction pumps increased wave's frequency at low Re numbers conversely decreased it at high Re numbers.     

纳米流体液滴内的光驱流动实验及其解析解

在光透过性的流体介质中添加具有高光响应特性的纳米颗粒,可以形成光驱动纳米流体,实现对光能的高效利用.本文针对光驱纳米流体流动行为开展实验观察和理论分析研究,这是实现光驱纳米流动精确调控的理论基础.首先利用粒子图像测速技术对液滴中直径为300 nm的Fe3O4颗粒在不同光源照射下受Marangoni效应诱导的运动进行了实验观测,研究光能向动能的高效转化机制.实验结果表明,当颗粒浓度大于临界数密度时,可诱导出垂向具有对称结构的涡,在液滴底部颗粒由四周向中心运动,顶部则由中心向四周运动,光源频率和颗粒数密度是这一过程的主导因素.随后,针对光强高斯分布的紫外光驱动下大颗粒数密度、特征流速约mm/s的光驱纳米流体,通过Stokes方程和表面张力梯度边界条件实现了其流场分布的解析求解,理论获得的流场分布解析解与实验测量结果保持一致,证实定量理论分析的有效性.最后,讨论了引入表面张力与在液滴底部引入表面压力及体相中集中引入光辐射力的不同驱动模式之间的相关性.这一研究成果为光微流控系统中流动行为的精确调控及光能的高效转化等提供了理论支持.     

Flow-field dynamics of the non-reacting and reacting jet in a vitiated cross-flow

The dynamics of a premixed ethylene-air jet injected transverse to a vitiated cross-flow were investigated using high-repetition rate particle image velocimetry (PIV). Both non-reacting and reacting jets were found to be characterized by a dominant frequency associated with the jet wake vortex system. For the isothermal jet, increasing the momentum flux ratio (J) has only a slight effect on the frequency of the oscillation but significantly increases its magnitude. The reacting jet was found to exhibit different behavior, with a monotonic increase in the dominant frequency with J. The jet equivalence ratio (?_j) was found to have little effect on the rate of wake vortex shedding but affects the overall magnitude of the oscillation. Comparison with data reported in the literature suggests the relationship between the wake Strouhal number (St_w) and J is fuel dependent. Application of a vortex detection algorithm shows a stark difference in the location of the wake vortices under non-reacting and reacting conditions. Under isothermal conditions, the vortices are found close to the jet centerline and dissipate relatively quickly. Reaction confines the vortices to a narrow shear layer until a farther distance downstream and the vortices convect through the entire area of interest. Additionally, the vortex circulation strength was found to increase with J. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of the non-reacting and reacting jets demonstrates the dominance of the wake vortex structures in the oscillating flow fields. In both cases, the temporal information extracted from the most energetic modes is identical to the dominant frequencies measured in the flow fields. The primary effect of heat release is to reduce the overall amount of coherence and to delay the appearance of elevated coherence levels until a larger streamwise distance from the jet exit.     

On the role of anisotropic turbomachinery flow structures in inter-scale turbulence energy flux as deduced from SPIV measurements

The present study uses stereoscopic particle image velocimetry in the rotor exit of a centrifugal turbomachine to analyse anisotropy and geometrical characteristics of tensorial flow quantities. The purpose is to identify dominant topologies of turbulence stress tensor and principal directions of flow structures. The misalignment between principal directions of strain and turbulence stress tensors is more evident in the jet–wake interaction regions and questions the eddy-viscosity models which assume an exact alignment between stress/strain eigenvectors. Anisotropy analysis based on the barycentric approach shows that the disk-like structure and/or the rod-like structure limiting states of turbulence are the most frequent topologies of turbulence stress. Additionally, planar straining is the dominant deformation characteristic in the measurement area. These anisotropic behaviours considerably attribute to the turbulence energy cascade. Conditional isolation of flow structures based on inter-scale energy flux shows that a larger extent of turbulence stress anisotropy results in a larger energy flux and therefore significantly affects the dynamics of turbulent flow structures.     

Flame/flow dynamics at the piston surface of an IC engine measured by high-speed PLIF and PTV

Resolving fluid transport at engine surfaces is required to predict transient heat loss, which is becoming increasingly important for the development of high-efficiency internal combustion engines (ICE). The limited number of available investigations have focused on non-reacting flows near engine surfaces, while this work focuses on the near-wall flow-field dynamics in response to a propagating flame front. Flow-field and flame distributions were measured simultaneously at kHz repetition rates using particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Measurements were performed near the piston surface of an optically accessible engine operating at 800?rpm with homogeneous, stoichiometric isooctane-air mixtures. High-speed measurements reveal a strong interdependency between near-wall flow and flame development which also influences subsequent combustion. A conditional analysis is performed to analyze flame/flow dynamics at the piston surface for cycles with ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ flow velocities parallel to the surface. Faster flame propagation associated with higher velocities before ignition demonstrates a stronger flow acceleration ahead of the flame. Flow acceleration associated with an advancing flame front is a transient feature that strongly influences boundary layer development. The distance from the wall to 75% maximum velocity (δ₇₅) is analyzed to compare boundary layer development between fired and motored datasets. Decreases in δ₇₅ are strongly related to flow acceleration produced by an approaching flame front. Measurements reveal strong deviations of the boundary layer flow between fired and motored datasets, emphasizing the need to consider transient flow behavior when modeling boundary layer physics for reacting flows.     

Transition from the Kondo effect to a Coulomb blockade in an electron shuttle

We investigate the effect of the mechanical motion of a quantum dot on the transport properties of a quantum dot shuttle.Employing the equation of motion method for the nonequilibrium Green’s function,we show that the oscillation of the dot,i.e.,the time-dependent coupling between the dot’s electron and the reservoirs,can destroy the Kondo effect.With the increase in the oscillation frequency of the dot,the density of states of the quantum dot shuttle changes from the Kondo-like to a Coulomb-blockade pattern.Increasing the coupling between the dot and the electrodes may partly recover the Kondo peak in the spectrum of the density of states.Understanding of the effect of mechanical motion on the transport properties of an electron shuttle is important for the future application of nanoelectromechanical devices.     

Study of force-dependent and time-dependent transition of secondary flow in a rotating straight channel by the lattice Boltzmann method

A numerical study using the lattice Boltzmann method has been carried out for flow through a rotating straight channel with a rectangular cross section. With different forces applied, the secondary flow exhibits two-cell states, four-cell states or six-cell states at a range of low rotational Reynolds number, however, within which only the two-cell states have been commonly reported. In addition to the force-dependent flow transition, a time-dependent flow transition of the secondary flow among two-cell states, four-cell states and six-cell states is also discovered during flow development. These newly found flow transitions and their regulations by force application have been analyzed. Based on numbers of case studies, it is found that a dimensionless number, the ratio of the driving pressure gradient to the centrifugal force, regulates such flow transitions. This study not only releases new phenomena of flow transition, but also indicates new applications in flow control, particle separation and heat transfer.     

Simultaneous measurement of thermal and dielectric properties in a conduction calorimeter: Application to the lock-in transition in Rb2ZnCl4 single crystal

A device for simultaneous measurement of thermal properties (specific heat, latent heat and related properties) and electric properties (such as permittivity, dielectric spectroscopy) based on conduction calorimetry is explained. The device is used to study the commensurate-incommensurate (lock-in) phase transition in Rb₂ZnCl₄ single crystal. This transition is found to be first-order. Thermal and dielectric anomalies are discussed.     

基于粒子成像测速技术的水中气泡界面的光学性质研究

基于粒子成像测速的流体可视化技术，根据菲涅耳公式计算了入射到水中气泡界面的光强，得出点光源连续两次反射或折射的光强具有等比数列的规律，光线在气泡界面反射、折射4次就变成完全偏振光且光线几乎消失.当入射角避开35°左右时，即便有一定宽度的线光源入射到气泡界面，第2次折射出气泡的光强与线光源的宽度无关，类似一条光线入射所产生的光强，给出了面光源在界面所产生的光强的二重积分表达式.线光源所产生的界面光强理论值、面光源产生的光强数值解与实验值都较为符合. 关键词： 水中气泡 界面 光强 粒子成像测速     

Planar Droplet Sizing for the Characterization of Droplet Clusters in an Industrial Gun‐Type Burner

An important problem in spray combustion deals with the existence of dense regions of droplets, called clusters. To understand their formation mechanism, the droplet dynamics and fuel concentration profile are investigated by means of planar laser techniques in an industrial gun‐type burner. The simultaneous measurement of elastic Mie scattering and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) allows the instantaneous measurement of the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), after proper calibration. Using two different CCDs to get the two signals requires a detailed calibration of the CCD response before getting absolute diameters. Pixels are binned 6 by 6 to obtain the final SMD map, this is a compromise between spatial accuracy and noise. Velocity field is measured on both sets of images using standard Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) algorithms. The comparison of cross‐correlation technique with PDA results shows that the velocity measured on the LIF images are close to the velocity based on D₃₀, whereas the Mie scattering results are similar to D₂₀. On Mie scattering images, regions of high interfacial area forming clusters can be detected. A special tracking scheme is used to characterize their dynamics in terms of velocity and diameters by ensuring that the same volume of fluid is tracked. It is shown that the clusters have a velocity similar to the velocity of droplets with the same diameter as the mean SMD of the cluster. It is also shown that an increase of pressure tends to trigger the appearance of such a group of droplets, due to a smaller diameter of the droplets caused by the increase of pressure discharge. Uncertainties for the different techniques used are discussed.     

A new approach to the evaluation of Casimir and van der Waals forces in the transition region

This paper studies the incorporation of Casimir and van der Waals forces applied to a nanostructure with parallel configuration. The focus of this study is in a transition region in which Casimir force gradually transforms into van der Waals force. It is proposed that in the transition region, a proportion of both Casimir and van der Waals forces, as the interacting nanoscale forces, can be considered based on the separation distance between upper structure and substrate during deflection. Moreover, as the separation distance descends during deflection, the nanoscale forces could transform from Casimir to a proportion of both Casimir and van der Waals forces and so as to van der Waals. This is also extended to the entire surface of the nanostructure in such a way that any point of the structure may be subjected to Casimir, van der Waals or a proportion of both of them about its separation distance from the substrate. Therefore, a mathematical model is presented which calculate the incorporation of Casimir and van der Waals forces considering transition region and their own domination area. The mechanical behavior of a circular nano-plate has been investigated as a case study to illustrate how different approaches to nanoscale forces lead to different results. For this purpose, the pull-in phenomena and frequency response in terms of magnitude have been studied based on Eringen nonlocal elasticity theory. The results are presented using different values of the nonlocal parameter and indicated in comparison with those of the classical theory. These results also amplify the idea of studying the mechanical behavior of nanostructures using the nonlocal elasticity theory.     

介质阻挡放电丝模式和均匀模式转化的特性

利用水电极介质阻挡放电装置，采用电学方法和发射光谱，研究了空气中介质阻挡放电从微放电丝模式向均匀放电模式转化的过程. 结果表明，大气压下增大外加电压或者电压一定减小气压，放电都能够从微放电丝模式过渡到均匀模式. 高气压下放电为流光击穿而低气压下为辉光放电. 利用放电发射光谱，研究了高能电子比例随实验参数的变化. 结果表明气压减小时高能电子比例增大，电压增加时高能电子减少. 利用壁电荷理论对以上实验结果进行了定性分析. 结果对介质阻挡均匀放电的深入研究具有重要价值.     

介质阻挡放电丝模式和均匀模式转化的特性

利用水电极介质阻挡放电装置,采用电学方法和发射光谱,研究了空气中介质阻挡放电从微放电丝模式向均匀放电模式转化的过程. 结果表明,大气压下增大外加电压或者电压一定减小气压,放电都能够从微放电丝模式过渡到均匀模式. 高气压下放电为流光击穿而低气压下为辉光放电. 利用放电发射光谱,研究了高能电子比例随实验参数的变化. 结果表明气压减小时高能电子比例增大,电压增加时高能电子减少. 利用壁电荷理论对以上实验结果进行了定性分析. 结果对介质阻挡均匀放电的深入研究具有重要价值. 关键词： 介质阻挡放电 光学发射谱 微放电丝 均匀放电模式     

On the elastic field and image force of dislocations in anisotropic solids and its application to GaN nanostructures

The determination of the elastic field and image force of dislocation in anisotropic media is a nontrivial problem. This work revisits Eshelby’s sextic anisotropic elasticity theory to obtain the stress field of a screw dislocation in an infinite anisotropic solid. The image force of a dislocation in an anisotropic nanowire is then derived by using the concept of ‘image dislocation’. Moreover, this work proposes to study the image force of nanorods by approximating the three-dimensional shape effect as a height-dependent shape function, which could be obtained through curve fitting of the finite element data. The analytical solution is applied to analyse image forces on different dislocations in GaN nanorods oriented along polar (c-axis) and nonpolar (a, m-axis) directions. The result shows the dislocation dissipation could be more effective in a-GaN but less in m-GaN by comparing with the standard growth of c-GaN. The approach developed in this work is applicable to other material systems. Therefore, it could contribute to a wide range of nanostructure design and fabrication for dislocation-free devices.     

Boundary conditions of the RGE flow in the noncommutative geometry approach to particle physics and cosmology

We investigate the effect of varying boundary conditions on the renormalization group flow in a recently developed noncommutative geometry model of particle physics and cosmology. We first show that there is a sensitive dependence on the initial conditions at unification, so that, varying a parameter even slightly can be shown to have drastic effects on the running of the model parameters. We compare the running in the case of the default and the maximal mixing conditions at unification. We then exhibit explicitly a particular choice of initial conditions at the unification scale, in the form of modified maximal mixing conditions, which have the property that they satisfy all the geometric constraints imposed by the noncommutative geometry of the model at unification, and at the same time, after running them down to lower energies with the renormalization group flow, they still agree in order of magnitude with the predictions at the electroweak scale.     

Influence of moieties for the phase stability, spontaneous polarization and dielectric relaxations in an achiral ferroelectric bent liquid crystal, PBUOB

The occurrence of ferroelelectric phases and influence of chemical moieties in the area of supra-molecular achiral Bent core Liquid Crystals (BLCs) are reviewed. Synthesis of an intermediate/higher homolog of PBnOB series (for n=11), PBUOB, viz. 1,3−Phenyline-Bis(4−UndecylOxy Benzoate), is presented. Smectic LC phases exhibited by PBUOB are characterized by Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Spontaneous Polarization (P_S) techniques. Observations infer a bi-variant FE LC smectic phase occurrence, viz., isotropic→B₂(FE)→B₅(FE)→solid phases in cooling and solid→B₅→isotropic phases in heating scans. Occurrence of B₂ phase is monotropic (in cooling), while B₅ phase is enantiotropic. I-B₂ and B₂-B₅ phase transitions are found to be of first order nature. The FE phases possess a moderate P_S value of ∼40 nC cm⁻². Transition temperatures from dielectric studies agree with those from TM and DSC. Two modes of relaxations are observed, viz., a slow scissor mode at ∼1 kHz and a fast mode at ∼1 MHz. Anisotropic Dipolar Model is proposed to explain the reorientation mechanism. Arrhenius shifts of Relaxation Frequency (f_R) show differing activation energies for two modes, i.e., 0.11 and 0.98 eV; 0.25 and 1.18 eV in B₂ and B₅ phases, respectively. Temperature variation of dielectric increment Δε and α-parameter LC phases reveals the relative fixture of dipole moment in polar smectic layers. An analytical study for the thermal stability, P_S and f_R in the FE phases is presented with respect to the constitution and configuration of moieties in BLCs.