Dynamics of polyrotaxane investigated by neutron spin echo

The dynamics of a molecular necklace known as polyrotaxane (PR), in which α-cyclodextrins (CDs) are threaded into a poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain, was investigated by means of neutron spin echo (NSE) measurements. We observed that threading CDs into PEG slowed down the local dynamics and changed its Q-dependence. A solution of PEG in DMSO-d₆ showed a dynamical crossover from collective diffusion dynamics to the Zimm mode, just as in conventional polymer solutions; however, the motion of PR in DMSO-d₆ was diffusive for the whole Q range. This may be because the persistence length l_p of PR was much larger than that of PEG and was similar to the mesh size of PR. The diffusive mode in a high Q regime, corresponding to a length scale of less than the l_p value of PR, contained the mode of the sliding of CDs along a rod-like PEG segment in one dimension.     

Anderson localization in different one-dimensional systems with off-diagonal disorder and spin-dependence

The localization properties of certain spin-dependent, one-dimensional electronic systems with only off-diagonal disorder are studied. In higher dimensions (d=2,3) the models considered would correspond to different universality classes, whereas ford=1 no qualitative difference is found: ForE=0, all eigenstates are exponentially localized, whereas forE0 the localization length diverges logarithmically, such that exactly atE=0 the geometric average of the transmission coefficient would decay with increasing chain lengthL as exp (-const. ·L ^1/2), instead of the usual, exponential decay.ForE=0, in the interior of the band, the localization lengthr ₀ diverges W ₂ ^–2 in the limit of weak disorder (W ₂0), whereas just at the band edge one has roughlyr ₀W ₂ ^–2/3. A universal recursion relation, depending only on the energy and on certain randomly distributed determinants, determines the localization length and the density of states for all systems considered.     

2D-to-3D percolation crossover of metal-insulator composites

Percolation properties and d.c. conductivity were determined for an L²×h-random resistor network model of metal-insulator composite films. The effects of the thickness h on the percolation threshold and conductivity were studied numerically in the limit of an infinite size of the L²-plane parallel to the film. For thicknesses ranging from h/L=0.01 to h/L=0.24, a crossover between a finite-size regime and a saturation regime was observed at h/L≈0.1. In the finite-size regime (h/L?0.01), the percolation threshold scales as pc(h)−pc3∝h−1/x, the exponent x being compatible with that of the critical exponent of the 3D correlation length, ν₃. The conductivity exponent t appeared to depend linearly on the ratio h/L with a slope νD compatible with 2+ν₂, where ν₂ is the 2D correlation length exponent. In the saturation regime, a scaling correction for the percolation threshold was found with an exponent 1+1/ν₃. In this regime we also observed a logarithmic dependence of the conductivity exponent on h/L.     

Interaction induced delocalization of two particles: large system size calculations and dependence on interaction strength

The localization length L₂ of two interacting particles in a one-dimensional disordered system is studied for very large system sizes by an efficient and accurate variant of the Green function method. The numerical results (at the band center) can be well described by the functional form L ₂ =L ₁ [0.5+c(U) L ₁ ] where L₁ is the one-particle localization length and the coefficient depends on the strength U of the on-site Hubbard interaction. The Breit-Wigner width or equivalently the (inverse) life time of non-interacting pair states is analytically calculated for small disorder and taking into account the energy dependence of the one-particle localization length. This provides a consistent theoretical explanation of the numerically found U-dependence of c(U). Received 16 September 1998     

Further observations on the variation with dielectric constant and thickness of the reflectance and phase change on reflection of films

Studies of the behaviour with ₁, ₂ and film thickness of the optical functions reflectance (R) and phase change on reflection (Φ_r) have previously been made for both very thin and very thick films. Abelès [J. Opt. Soc. Amer. 47 (1957) 473] has formulated equations for very thin films where functions of ₁ and ₂ are the coefficients of a power series of the optical thickness, x(2πd/λ) up to x², whilst in the case of very thick films (solids) the relationships between ₁ and ₂ can be represented in polar coordinates L and α by ₁=L cos α, ₂=L sin α where L_R=2y²₀W²(1+cos α−1/W²) [W=(1+R)/(1−R)] and L_Φr=2(y₀/ tan Φ_r)²(1−cos α+tan ² Φ_r) [Ward, Opt. and Laser Tech. 27 (1995) 125]. The present study is concerned with films of intermediate optical thicknesses (1.0<2πd/λ<solid) and has revealed that the polar-type relationships previously noted for solid materials are augmented by secondary structures of maxima and minima whose position and amplitude can be predicted by adapting the exact equations for R and Φ_r.     

Structural and optical properties of thermally evaporated thin films

Chalcogenide glass Se₅₅Ge₃₀As₁₅ have amorphous structure in both as-deposited and annealed conditions. The optical properties of the as-deposited and annealed films were studied using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance, T(λ), and reflectance, R(λ), at normal incidence of light in the wavelength range 200–2500 nm. Neither annealing temperature nor film thickness can influence spectral response on refractive index and absorption index of films. The type of electronic transition responsible for optical properties is indirectly allowed transition with energy gap of 1.94 eV and phonon energy of 40 meV. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single oscillator Wemple–Didomenico (WD) model. The width of band tails of localized states into the gap (ΔE), the single oscillator energy (E_o), the dispersion energy (E_d), the optical dielectric constant (ε_∞), the lattice dielectric constant (ε_L), the plasma frequency (ω_p) and the free charge carrier concentration (N) were estimated.     

A combined analysis of the hadronic and leptonic decays of the Z

We report on a measurement of the mass of the Z⁰ boson, its total width, and its partial decay widths into hadrons and leptons. On the basis of 25 801 hadronic decays and 1999 decays into electrons, muons or taus, selected over eleven energy points between 88.28 GeV and 95.04 GeV, we obtain from a combined fit to hadrons and leptons a mass of M_z=91.154±0.021 (exp)±0.030 (LEP) GeV, and a total width of Γ_z=2.536±0.045 GeV. The errors on M_z have been separated into the experimental error and the uncertainty due to the LEP beam energy. The measured leptonic partial widths are Γ_ee=81.2±2.6 MeV, Γ_μμ=82.6± 5.8 MeV, and Γ_ττ=85.7±7.1 MeV, consistent with lepton universality. From a fit assuming lepton universality we obtain Γ_ℓ⁺ ℓ⁻ = 81.9±2.0 MeV. The hadronic partial width is Γ_had=1838±46 MeV. From the measured total and partial widths a model independent value for the invisible width is calculated to be Γ_inv=453±44 MeV. The errors quoted include both the statistical and the systematic uncertainties.     

On the environmental decoherence and spin interference in mesoscopic loop structures

Mechanisms of ‘environmental decoherence’ such as surface scattering, Elliot–Yafet process and precession mechanisms, as well as their influence on the spin phase relaxation are considered and compared. It is shown that the ‘spin ballistic’ regime is possible, when the phase relaxation length for the spin part of the wave function (L^(s)) is much greater than the phase relaxation length for the ‘orbital part’ (L^(e)). In the presence of an additional magnetic field, the spin part of the electron's wave function (WF) acquires a phase shift due to additional spin precession about that field. If the structure length L is chosen to be L^(s)>L>L^(e), it is possible to ‘wash out’ the quantum interference related to the phase coherence of the ‘orbital part’ of the WF, retaining at the same time that related to the phase coherence of the spin part and, hence, to reveal corresponding conductance oscillations.     

Statistical scattering theory, the supersymmetry method and universal conductance fluctuations

This paper describes a novel analytical approach to the problem of conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic systems which, in particular, gives account of the influence of the coupling to external leads. We consider the case of a linear disordered sample in the metallic regime, which is coupled to two ideally conducting external leads. Using the many-channel approximation to Landauer's formula, we relate the conductance to the total transmission probability through the sample. The microscopic Hamiltonian of the quasi-one-dimensional disordered sample is formulated in terms of a random matrix, and the elements of the associated scattering matrix which determine the transmission are constructed from statistical scattering theory. We show that in addition to the Thouless energy, E_c, and the mean level spacing, d, there exists in the theory, a third energy scale, Γ, determined by the number of channels in the leads and the strength of the coupling between disordered sample and leads. Related to Γ, is a new length scale, L₀. We find that for sample lengths L >L₀, the properties of the conductance depend only weakly on the coupling to the external leads and, for very large L, become identical with those of quasi-one-dimensional conductors in the weak localization limit. On the other hand, for L < L₀, the coupling to the leads strongly affects the behaviour of both the average and the variance of the conductance. The magnitude of L₀ is typically several magnitudes of ten times the elastic mean free path and thus comparable to the sizes of experimental devices. A further novel aspect of our work is the demonstration that the assumption of GOE statistics for the Hamiltonian is sufficient to yield universal conductance fluctuations.     

Matrix elements for the representations of SO(n) and SO0(n, 1)

Matrix elements of the unitary irreducible representations of the group SO(n) of class higher then 1 (with respect to SO(n−1)) in Gel'fand-Zetlin basis are obtained in explicit form. They are represented as polynomials in cosθ and sinθ of the order equal to the first coordinate of the highest weight. Making use of them the representation matrix elements for the group SO₀(n, 1) in SO(n) basis are calculated.     

First passage time in a two-layer system

As a first step in the first passage problem for passive tracer in stratified porous media, we consider the case of a two-dimensional system consisting of two layers with different convection velocities. Using a lattice generating function formalism and a variety of analytic and numerical techniques, we calculate the asymptotic behavior of the first passage time probability distribution. We show analytically that the asymptotic distribution is a simple exponential in time for any choice of the velocities. The decay constant is given in terms of the largest eigenvalue of an operator related to a half-space Green's function. For the anti-symmetric case of opposite velocities in the layers, we show that the decay constant for system lengthL crosses over fromL ^–2 behavior in the diffusive limit toL ^–1 behavior in the convective regime, where the crossover lengthL ^* is given in terms of the velocities. We also have formulated a general self-consistency relation, from which we have developed a recursive approach which is useful for studying the short-time behavior.     

Decays of kaons in a weak-gauged U(4)L U(4)R chiral lagrangian model

We present a U(4)_L(4)_R chiral lagrangian model for mesons where the electroweak interactions are introduced as a gauge theory over the mesons degrees of freedom. Therefore we have good control over the weak symmetries of the standard model. We study the process K→πℓ⁺ℓ⁻ to one loop in our model. Inclusion of charmed mesons makes the γπK vertex finite as a particular realization of the GIM mechanism. The results are in good agreement with the experimental ones and the predictions coming from chiral perturbation theory.     

New CP phase of – mixing on T violation in

A large CP-violating phase uncovered recently by CDF and DØ Collaborations in the time-dependent CP asymmetry (CPA) of the B_s→J/Ψ decay clearly indicates that a non-Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa (CKM) phase has to be brought into the b→s transition. We find that the model with SU(2)_L singlet exotic quarks cannot only provide the new phase induced from the Z-mediated flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) at tree level, but also strongly relate the B_s– mixing, B_q→V_qℓ⁺ℓ⁻ (V_d[s]=K^*[]) and B_s→μ⁺μ⁻ together. In particular, we show that the new CP phase can be unambiguously exposed by the large statistical significances of T violating observables in B_q→V_qℓ⁺ℓ⁻, while the branching ratio of B_s→μ⁺μ⁻ can be enhanced to be O(10⁻⁸).     

On the spectroscopy in ee annihilation

The properties of the radial excitations of the , ω and mesons are discussed. In particular it is proposed to identify the recently observed states at √s 1.5, 1.82 and 2.13 GeV in e⁺e⁻ annihilation with the _D ≡ ³D₁(λλ), ″ and ′″ mesons respectively. The ′ meson is suggested to lie in the vicinity of 1.5 GeV and strongly coupled to the _D. The ″(1.6) width is also suggested to be smaller than previously reported.     

Localization of quasiparticles in a disordered vortex

We study the diffusive motion of low-energy normal quasiparticles along the core of a single vortex in a dirty, type-II, s-wave superconductor. The physics of this system is argued to be described by a one-dimensional supersymmetric non-linear σ model, which differs from the σ models known for disordered metallic wires. For an isolated vortex and quasiparticle energies less than the Thouless energy E_Th, we recover the spectral correlations that are predicted by random matrix theory for the universality class C. We then consider the transport problem of transmission of quasiparticles through a vortex connected to particle reservoirs at both ends. The transmittance at zero energy exhibits a weak localization correction reminiscent of quasi-one-dimensional metallic systems with symmetry index β = 1. Weak localization disappears with increasing energy over a scale set by E_Th This crossover should be observable in measurements of the longitudinal heat conductivity of an ensemble of vortices under mesoscopic conditions. In the regime of strong localization, the localization length is shown to decrease by a factor of 8 as the quasiparticle energy goes to zero.     

Photoinduced non-linear optical diagnostic of SiNxOy/Si111 interfaces

Anisotropic (elliptically polarized) photoinduced second harmonic generation (PISHG) in SiN_xO_y/Si1 1 1 films was proposed for contact-less monitoring of specimens with different nitrogen to oxygen (N/O) ratios. As a source for the photoinducing light, we used a nitrogen Q-switched pulse laser at wavelengths of 315, 337 and 354 nm as well as doubled frequency YAG–Nd laser wavelength (λ=530 nm). The YAG : Nd pulse laser (λ=1.06 μm; W=30 MW; τ=10–50 ps) was used to measure the PISHG. All measurements were done in a reflected light regime. We found that the output PISHG signal was sensitive to the N/O ratio and the film thickness. Measurements of the PISHG versus pumping wavelengths, powers, incident angles as well as independent measurements of the DC-electric field induced second harmonic generation indicate the major role played in this process by axially symmetric photoexcited electron–phonon states. The SiN_xO_y films were synthesized using a technique of chemical evaporation at low pressures. Films with thickness varying between 10 and 30 nm and with an N/O ratio between 0 and 1 were obtained. Electrostatic potential distribution at the Si1 1 1–SiN_xO_y interfaces was calculated. Comparison of the experimentally obtained and quantum chemically calculated PISHG data are presented. High sensitivity of anisotropic PISHG to the N/O ratio and film thickness is revealed. The role of the electron–phonon interactions in the dependencies observed is discussed. We have shown that the PISHG method has higher sensitivity than the traditional extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic and linear optical method for films with the N/O ratio higher than 0.50.     

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.     

Instability Zones of a Periodic 1D Dirac Operator and Smoothness of its Potential

Let L be the differential operatorwhere P(x),Q(x) are 1-periodic functions such that The operator L, considered on [0,1] with periodic (y(0)=y(1)), or antiperiodic (y(0)=−y(1)) boundary conditions, is self-adjoint, and moreover, for large |n| it has, close to nπ, a pair of periodic (if n is even), or antiperiodic (if n is odd) eigenvalues λ⁺_n , λ^-_n. We study the relationship between the decay rate of the instability zone sequence γ_n = λ_n⁺ - λ_n^-, n → ± ∞, and the smoothness of the potential function P(x).The first author acknowledges the hospitality of The Mathematics Department of The Ohio State University during academic year 2003/2004. His research is partially supported by Grant MM–1401/04 of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.     

Burning velocity correlation of methane/air turbulent premixed flames at high pressure and high temperature

Turbulent burning velocities for methane/air mixtures at pressures ranging from atmospheric pressure up to 1.0 MPa and mixture temperatures of 300 and 573 K were measured, which covers the typical operating conditions of premixed-type gas-turbine combustors. A bunsen-type flame stabilized in a high-pressure chamber was used, and OH-PLIF visualization was performed with the pressure and mixture temperature being kept constant. In addition to a burner with an outlet diameter of 20 mm for the high-pressure experiments, a large-scale burner with an outlet diameter of 60 mm was used at atmospheric pressure to extend the turbulence Reynolds number based on the Taylor microscale, R_λ, as a common parameter to compare the pressure and temperature effects. It was confirmed that R_λ over 100 could be attained and that u′/S_L could be extended even at atmospheric pressure. Based on the contours of the mean progress variable c = 0.1 determined using OH-PLIF images, turbulent burning velocity was measured. S_T/S_L was also found to be greatly affected by pressure for preheated mixtures at 573 K. The bending tendency of the S_T/S_L curves with u′/S_L was seen regardless of pressure and mixture temperature and the R_λ region where the bending occurs corresponded well to the region where the smallest scale of flame wrinkling measured as a fractal inner-cutoff approaches the characteristic flame instability scale and becomes almost constant. A power law of S_T/S_L with (P/P₀)(u′/S_L) was clearly seen when S_T was determined using c = 0.1 contours, and the exponent was close to 0.4, indicating agreement with the previous results using the mean flame cone method and the significant pressure effects on turbulent burning velocity.     

Onset of a nonoptimal hopping regime for ac conductivity in amorphous gallium antimonide

A possible explanation has been found for the typical discrepancy between the parameters of localized states as determined from the static and dynamic hopping conductivities in tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors. It is shown for the example of a-GaSb that the Mott hopping length R _opt, the correlation length for nonoptimal hops L _T , and the ac hopping length R _ω are related as R _opt <L _T <R _ω , as a result of which the Mott law holds for the dc conductivity and the Zvyagin regime of nonoptimal hops holds for the ac conductivity σ(ω). The observed value of σ(ω) is two orders of magnitude lower than the conductivity calculated by the Austin-Mott formula for the parameters of localized states found from dc measurements. A model that quantitatively describes the static and dynamic conductivity of a-GaSb with the aid of a single set of parameters characterizing the Miller-Abrahams resistor network is proposed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 4, 322–327 (25 February 1997)