Road traffic noise—The influence of the road surface and its characterization

Unacceptable errors in the prediction of traffic noise occur in some cases when the road surface is largely different from that on which the prediction model is based. The reason is that tyre/road noise has appeared to be the dominating component of the noise from free-flowing traffic and that this noise is to a substantial extent dependent on the road surface.The mechanisms for tyre/road noise generation and its relation to road characteristics are described. Relevant road surface characterization methods are suggested. The major method is the measurement of the road texture profile and subsequent spectral analysis of the profile curve. Supplementary methods concern the measurement of acoustical and mechanical impedances. It is concluded that the road surface effect on traffic noise is extremely complicated and that it is very difficult to generalize any simple relations.For free-flowing traffic it is shown that the tested road surface types and conditions may influence the traffic noise by up to 11 dB(A). This calls for a correction term for the road surface in the prediction models. Despite the complicated relations, it appears feasible—within stringent limitations—to use a table where the correction term is a variable of vehicle type, vehicle speed as well as road surface type and condition.     

On the absolute efficiency of large neutron detectors for μCF

The absolute efficiency for a large organic scintillator neutron detector has been calculated via Monte Carlo simulation for neutrons of 14 MeV. The influence of the environmental geometry (source scattering, etc.) has been taken into account. Full differential cross-sections, including resonances, have been used. The calculated response function compares well with the measured one. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quantum Physics and Classical Physics—In the Light of Quantum Logic

In contrast to the Copenhagen interpretation we consider quantum mechanics as universally valid and query whether classical physics is really intuitive and plausible. We discuss these problems within the quantum logic approach to quantum mechanics where the classical ontology is relaxed by reducing metaphysical hypotheses. On the basis of this weak ontology a formal logic of quantum physics can be established which is given by an orthomodular lattice. By means of the Solèr condition and Piron's result one obtains the classical Hilbert spaces. However, this approach is not fully convincing. There is no plausible justification of Solèr's law and the quantum ontology is partly too weak and partly too strong. We propose to replace this ontology by an ontology of unsharp properties and conclude that quantum mechanics is more intuitive than classical mechanics and that classical mechanics is not the macroscopic limit of quantum mechanics.     

Effect of the reflection of underlying surface on sky radiance distribution

Sky radiance might be influenced by the multiple reflectance between the earth's albedo surface and the atmosphere. Based on the Lambert's law and the radiative transfer equation (RTE), a model is developed to calculate the additional sky radiance at wavelengths of 0.4-3μm due to the reflectance contribution of the underlying surface. The iterative method is used to calculate sky radiance without the reflectance from underlying surface. The hybrid modified delta-Eddington approximation is used to compute the atmospheric reflection of the radiation from the earth's surface. An interaction factor is introduced to deal with the multiple reflectance between the atmosphere and the underlying surface. The sky radiance increment is evaluated for some different albedos of the earth's surface. The results show that the sky radiance increment rises rapidly while viewing zenith angle is near to 90°, and the larger the albedo of the earth's surface is, the more obvious this effect appears.     

Influence of cosmic radiation spectrum and its variation on the relative efficiency of LiF thermoluminescent detectors – Calculations and measurements

Lithium fluoride thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) were used for cosmic radiation dosimetry already in early 1960s. Since that time they have been constantly applied in numerous space missions for personal dosimetry, area monitoring, phantom measurements and dosimetry for biological experiments. The relative efficiency of TLDs, defined as the ratio of their response to a given radiation and to a reference radiation, is not constant, but depends on ionization density. This raises a question about the relative efficiency of TLDs exposed to the complex cosmic radiation spectrum encountered in Earth's orbit, which consists of a variety of particles, including heavy ions, the spectrum of which covers an extremely broad energy range. The present work is an attempt to find an answer to this question.The particle energy spectra were calculated for realistic flight conditions of the International Space Station (ISS). The calculation of the Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) component was based on the input spectra generated with the DLR model for solar minimum (2009) and solar maximum (2000) conditions. Contributions of trapped protons were estimated based on the AP8 model for solar minimum and maximum taking into account the altitude variations of the ISS. The interactions of the primary particles with the ISS were simulated with GEANT4 using a shielding geometry derived from the mass distribution of the Columbus Laboratory of the ISS and several constant aluminum shieldings. The calculated spectra were convoluted with the experimental data on the relative TL efficiency measured for ions ranging from H to Xe at various particle accelerators for two commonly applied TL-materials, namely LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P.The results showed the differences in the average TL-efficiency for these two TL-materials. For LiF:Mg,Ti the relative efficiency is within a few percent from unity for any of the analyzed values of shielding, altitude and solar cycle conditions. This means that one can assume cosmic radiation doses measured in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with LiF:Mg,Ti detectors to be correct within such uncertainty. LiF:Mg,Cu,P underestimates the cosmic radiation doses by more than 15% in all cases. Altitude and solar cycle were found to have a very weak influence on the TL efficiency. In contrast, the influence of shielding thickness is quite significant. The reason for this is a change of contributions of radiation field components: trapped protons dominate at low shielding (97% of dose at 1 g/cm²), but are negligible above 60 g/cm², as well as changes within GCR spectrum (increase of dose due to lower LET secondaries for higher shielding). Shielding thickness affects both TLD types in different ways: the efficiency of LiF:Mg,Cu,P increases with increasing shielding thickness, while the efficiency of LiF:Mg,Ti shows some fluctuations, with a weak minimum for 60 g/cm². The response ratio of these TLDs decreases monotonically with the shielding thickness and could be used as an indicator for the average shielding conditions in which the TLDs were exposed.     

Quantum confinement and surface chemistry of 0.8–1.6 nm hydrosilylated silicon nanocrystals

In the framework of density functional theory(DFT), we have studied the electronic properties of alkene/alkynehydrosilylated silicon nanocrystals(Si NCs) in the size range from 0.8 nm to 1.6 nm. Among the alkenes with all kinds of functional groups considered in this work, only those containing –NH2and –C4H3S lead to significant hydrosilylationinduced changes in the gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO) of an Si NC at the ground state. The quantum confinement effect is dominant for all of the alkenehydrosilylated Si NCs at the ground state. At the excited state, the prevailing effect of surface chemistry only occurs at the smallest(0.8 nm) Si NCs hydrosilylated with alkenes containing –NH2and –C4H3S. Although the alkyne hydrosilylation gives rise to a more significant surface chemistry effect than alkene hydrosilylation, the quantum confinement effect remains dominant for alkyne-hydrosilylated Si NCs at the ground state. However, at the excited state, the effect of surface chemistry induced by the hydrosilylation with conjugated alkynes is strong enough to prevail over that of quantum confinement.     

Quantum efficiency calibration of opto-electronic detector by means of correlated photons method

A new calibration method of detectors can be realized by using correlated photons generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) effect of nonlinear crystal.An absolute calibration system of detector quantum efficiency is performed.And its principle and experimental setup are introduced.A continuous- wave (CW) ultraviolet (351 nm),diode-pumped,frequency-doubled,and solid-state laser is used to pump BBO crystal.The quantum efficiencies of the photomultiplier at 633,702,and 789 nm are measured respectively.The coincidence peaks are observed using coincidence circuit.Some measurement factors including the filter bandwidth of trigger channel,the detector position alignment and polarization of the pump light are analyzed.The uncertainties of this calibration method are also analyzed,and the relative uncertainties of total calibration are less than 5.8%.The accuracy of this method could be improved in the future.     

Modeling of ionization–recombination processes in the atmospheric surface layer

The electrical structure of non-stationary horizontally-homogenous surface layer with multi-charged aerosol particles was mathematically modeled in the approximation of turbulent electrode effect. The profiles of positive and negative small ions and nuclei, electric field, polar air conductivity, current density and space charge density were computed in different time periods and various physical conditions. The mathematical model of non-stationary horizontally homogenous surface layer with aerosol particles was made regarding turbulent mixing and convective transport. The space-time distributions of positive and negative small ions and nuclei, electric field, electrical conductivity, current density and space charge density for various physical conditions (aerosol concentrations, turbulent mixing, convective transport, air ionization rate, electric field strength near surface, aerosol particles size) were received. Experimental data of electrical and meteorological parameters were measured and analyzed. It was received that theoretical results are in a good agreement with experimental data.     

Effect of surface recombination on the amplitude spectrum of variable bias γ-counters

The form of the amplitude spectrum of a photoresistive counter is found by solution of the continuity equation for an infinite semiconductive plate with an instantaneous point source of nonequilibrium charge carriers and a specified surface recombination rate for these carriers and an additional assumption as to the character of -quantum absorption by the photoresistor material. It is thus shown to be possible to construct the spectrum with use of the response function formalism of [1, 2] for each of the signal formation processes (e-p pair generation, photoconductivity kinetics, imposition of equipment noise).Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 97–100, September, 1982.     

Fabrication and characterization of two-dimensional pin-cushion position sensitive detectors

In this paper, the fabrication and testing results of a two-dimensional pin-cushion position sensitive detector (PSD) are presented. The obtained pin-cushion PSD with an 8×8 mm2 effective area presents a maximum spectral response of 0.5 mA/mW at 850-nm wavelength, a 12-nA dark current at 5-V reverse voltage, a reverse breakdown voltage of 50 V, a nonlinearity of 2.175%, and a spatial resolution of 10 μm. The spatial resolution is relatively low and the slight pin-cushion concave distortion is generated due to the incompletely satisfied relationship between sheet resistivity of the anode and the resistance per unit length.     

Quantum—Confined Stark Effect of Vertically Stacked Self—Assembled Quantum Discs

We study the electronic energy levels and probability distribution of vertically stacked self-assembled InAs quantum discs system in the presence of a vertically applied electric field. This field is found to increase the splitting between the symmetric and antisymmetric levels for the same angular momentum. The field along the direction from one disc to another affects the electronic energy levels similarly as that in the opposite direction because the two discs are identical. It is obvious from our calculation that the probability of finding an electron in one disc becomes larger when the field points from this disc to the other one.     

Determination of the nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(2) of surface layers by sum and difference frequency generation in reflection and transmission

The theoretical investigation of sum and difference frequency generation in thin surface layers with rotational symmetry leads to formulas which connect the generated light intensities to the surface second order nonlinear susceptibility tensor. A maximum of seven tensor components can be determined in the case of lowest symmetry. Measurements in transmission should be especially useful since they allow easy variation of both polarization and angle of incidence. On the other hand, large signal enhancements are expected for total internal reflection geometries. A consistent set of ⁽²⁾ tensor components for a thin layer of rhodamine-6G adsorbed on fused silica is found based on data from reflection and transmission measurements.     

Multi—Player and Multi—Choice Quantum Game

We investigate a multi-player and multi-choice quantum game.We start from a two-player and two-choice game,and the result is better than its classical version.Then we extend this to N-player and N-choice cases.In the quantum domain,we provide a strategy with which players can always avoid the worst outcome.Also,by changing the value of the parameter of the initial state,the probabilities for players to obtain the best pay-off will be much higher than in its classical version.     

Energy resolution and non-proportionality of scintillation detectors – new observations

According to the present knowledge, the non-proportionality of the light yield of scintillators appears to be the fundamental limitation of energy resolution and it is related to the intrinsic properties of the crystals. However, several observations collected in the last 10 years suggest more complex processes in the scintillators. First, the study of undoped NaI and CsI crystals showed that the non-proportionality and energy resolution are very sensitive to the accidental traces of impurities. For some crystals, like CsI(Tl), ZnSe(Te), undoped NaI at liquid nitrogen temperature and finally for NaI(Tl) at temperatures reduced below 0 °C, an influence of slow components of the light pulses on energy resolution and non-proportionality is observed. A common conclusion of these observations is the fact that the highest energy resolution, and particularly the intrinsic resolution measured with scintillators, characterized by two components of the light pulse decay, is obtainable when the spectrometry equipment integrates the whole light of both components. In the limiting case, the afterglow could be considered also as a very slow component destroying the energy resolution. The aim of this work is to summarize all above observations looking for their origin.     

Quantum and Classical Evolutions of a Nonautonomous Dynamical System—A Comparison

The influence of moving boundaries on the stability of quantum Hamiltonian systems, in particular on the dynamics of quantum versions of the classical Pustilnikov model, is investigated (the latter consists of a masspoint bouncing above an oscillating plate under the influence of constant gravity.) It is shown that, in contrast to the classical Pustilnikov model, generic time-periodic boundary conditions (including the Dirichlet condition) on the quantum models do not allow unlimited energy gain (speeding up) of these systems.     

Structural and Interaction Properties of Porphyrin Layers — A Quantum Chemical Study

This paper is proposed to understand the interaction of porphyrin layers with diatomic molecules interacting at their interior regions by applying ab initio and density functional theory(DFT) methods. We have used NO, CO, and O2 diatomic molecules to interact with the porphyrin layers. The most common Fe-centered metalloporphyrin structure with tetra-pyrrlic rings having N4 core is chosen for the study. The optimization of Porphyrin-Porphyrin(P I-P II)and Porphyrin-Diatomic molecule-Porphyrin(P I-AB-P II)(AB = NO, CO, and O2) complexes are performed using HF method. In order to understand the planarity and appropriate stacking size of porphyrins and also to infer the separation of diatomic molecules between porphyrin layers the behavior of P I-AB-P II complexes(where AB = NO, CO, and O2)are analyzed using structural properties and molecular electrostatic potentials(MEP). The MEPs are calculated using hybrid exchange correlation functional B3PW91 of DFT along with 6-31+G* basis set for the P I-P II and P I-AB-P II complexes obtained from HF method.     

Ecofriendly laccase–hydrogen peroxide/ultrasound-assisted bleaching of linen fabrics and its influence on dyeing efficiency

This study evaluates the bleaching efficiency of enzymatically scoured linen fabrics using a combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide bleaching process with and without ultrasonic energy, with the goal of obtaining fabrics with high whiteness levels, well preserved tensile strength and higher dye uptake. The effect of the laccase enzyme and the combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide bleaching process with and without ultrasound has been investigated with regard to whiteness value, tensile strength, dyeing efficiency and dyeing kinetics using both reactive and cationic dyes. The bleached linen fabrics were characterized using X-ray diffraction and by measuring tensile strength and lightness. The dyeing efficiency and kinetics were characterized by measuring dye uptake and colour fastness. The results indicated that ultrasound was an effective technique in the combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide bleaching process of linen fabrics. The whiteness values expressed as lightness of linen fabrics is enhanced by using ultrasonic energy. The measured colour strength values were found to be slightly better for combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide/ultrasound-assisted bleached fabrics than for combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide for both reactive and cationic dyes. The fastness properties of the fabrics dyed with reactive dye were better than those obtained when using cationic dye. The time/dye uptake isotherms were also enhanced when using combined laccase–hydrogen peroxide/ultrasound-assisted bleached fabric, which confirms the efficiency of ultrasound in the combined oxidative bleaching process. The dyeing rate constant, half-time of dyeing and dyeing efficiency have been calculated and discussed.