Scattering from very rough metallic and dielectric surfaces: a theory based on the modified Kirchhoff approximation

This paper presents a theory of scattering from very rough metallic and dielectric surfaces using the first- and second-order Kirchhoff approximations (KA) modified with the angular and propagation shadowing. The shadowing functions limit the single and double scattered waves which are illuminated and not shadowed by the surface. The theoretical results are compared with the Monte Carlo simulations showing the range of validity of the theory. The theory is applicable to the range where the RMS height is close to a wavelength and the RMS slope is close to unity, and the second medium is lossy. The second-order scattering includes two waves travelling in opposite directions on the surface, giving a physical explanation of the enhanced backscattering.     

The control of very low oxygen partial pressures with stabilized zirconia cell

Control of very low oxygen partial pressures was performed in the range of 10⁻²¹-10⁻²⁴ Pa at 750°C by pumping oxygen into the purified hydrogen stream with a stabilized zirconia cell. The oxygen partial pressures were monitored by a stabilized zirconia sensor. The stabilized zirconia oxygen sensor was calibrated by H₂-CO₂ gas buffer mixture in the range of oxygen pressure from 10⁻¹⁷ to 10⁻²¹ Pa, and oxygen partial pressures below 10⁻²¹ Pa were measured by extrapolating the calibration line to very low oxygen partial pressures. The lowest oxygen partial pressure controlled was 10⁻²⁴ Pa at 750°C, which was limited by gas leaks in the system and also by the reduction of the ionic transference number in solid electrolyte used as the oxygen pump.     

Semiconductor diamond heater in the Kawai multianvil apparatus: an innovation to generate the lower mantle geotherm

Semiconductor diamond is considered the best heater material to generate ultra-high temperatures in a Kawai cell. In two pioneering studies, a mixture of graphite and amorphous boron (or boron carbide, B₄C) was converted to semiconductor diamond in the diamond stability field and was confirmed to generate 2000°C and 3500°C, respectively. Following these works, we synthesized a homemade boron-doped graphite block with fine machinability. With this technical breakthrough, we developed a semiconductor diamond heater in a smaller Kawai-type cell assembly. Here, we report the procedure for making machinable boron-doped graphite, and the performance of the material as a heater in a Kawai cell at 15?GPa using tungsten carbide anvils and at ～50?GPa using sintered diamond anvils. Furthermore, we present a finite element simulation of the temperature distribution generated by a semiconductor diamond heater, which is much more homogeneous than that generated by a metal heater.     

Soot formation characteristics in a lab-scale turbulent pulverized coal flame with simultaneous planar measurements of laser induced incandescence of soot and Mie scattering of pulverized coal

Soot formation characteristics of a lab-scale pulverized coal flame were investigated by performing carefully controlled laser diagnostics. The spatial distributions of soot volume fraction and the pulverized coal particles were measured simultaneously by laser induced incandescence (LII) and Mie scattering imaging, respectively. In addition, the radial distributions of the soot volume fraction were compared with the OH radical fluorescence, gas temperature and oxygen concentration obtained in our previous studies [1], [2]. The results indicated that the laser pulse fluence used for LII measurement should be carefully controlled to measure the soot volume fraction in pulverized coal flames. To precisely measure the soot volume fraction in pulverized coal flames using LII, it is necessary to adjust the laser pulse fluence so that it is sufficiently high to heat up all the soot particles to the sublimation temperature but also sufficiently low to avoid including a too large of a change in the morphology of the soot particles and the superposition of the LII signal from the pulverized coal particles on that from the soot particles. It was also found that the radial position of the peak LII signal intensity was located between the positions of the peak Mie scattering signal intensity and peak OH radical signal intensity. The region, in which LII signal, OH radical fluorescence and Mie scattering coexisted, expanded with increasing height above the burner port. It was also found that the soot formation in pulverized coal flames was enhanced at locations where the conditions of high temperature, low oxygen concentration and the existence of pulverized coal particles were satisfied simultaneously.     

A simple monitoring system for single subpicosecond laser pulses using an SH spatial autocorrelation method and a CCD image sensor

A simple noncollinear SHG autocorrelator for monitoring the time behavior of single subpicosecond laser pulses is described. A new CCD image-line sensor with high sensitivity in the UV range is used to measure the second-harmonic (SH) spatial distribution which gives information on the duration of the fundamental light pulses. An input energy of only 10 μJ is enough to obtain the SH spatial beam patterns in this highly sensitive autocorrelation system.     

On fluctuations in μ-space

A master equation is derived microscopically to describe the fluctuating motion of the particle density in . space. This equation accounts for the drift motion of particles and is valid for any inhomogeneous gas. The Boltzmann equation is obtained from the first moment of this equation by neglecting the second cumulant (the pair correlation function). The successive moments form coarse-grained BBGKY-like hierarchy equations, in which small spatial regions with r_ij < the force range are smeared out. These hierarchy equations are convenient for investigating the nonequilibrium long-range pair correlation function, which arises mainly from sequences of isolated binary collisions and gives rise to the much-discussed long-time tail and the logarithmic term in the density expansion of transport coefficients. It is shown to have a spatial long tail, like the Coulombic potential, in a steady laminar flow. The stochastic nature of the nonlinear Boltzmann-Langevin equation is also investigated; the random source term is found to be expressed as a linear superposition of Poisson random variables and to become Gaussian in special cases.     

Magnetic circular dichroism of theA andB bands in KI:Ga+, KI:In+, and KI:Sn2+

Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of theA- andB-absorption band region has been obtained at 4.2 K and 50 kG in KI:Ga⁺, KI:In⁺, and KI:Sn²⁺. The MCD spectra indicate the complex nature of these bands more clearly than the absorption spectra themselves do. TheA-band MCD consists in all cases of a positive and a negative part reflecting the structure of the absorption band. TheB-band MCD shows three peaks, two positive peaks at 4.34 and 4.41₅ eV (4.09 and 4.17₅ eV) and a negative peak at 4.38 eV (4.12₅ eV) in KI:Ga⁺ (KI:In⁺). TheB-band in KI:Sn²⁺ consists of a shoulder (b ₀) at 3.76 eV and a main band which has at least 5 sub-peaks (b ₁~b ₅) at 3.82₁, 3.84₁, 3.86₁, 3.88₀, and 3.89₅ eV; each of the subpeaks (b ₁~b ₅) gives a derivative-like MCD.The MCD shape functionf() for the transitiona _1g ² a _1g t _1u has been obtained for one set of parameter values by using the classical Franck-Condon approximation and the Monte Carlo integration method. The result can explain the observed salient features of theB- as well asA-band MCD's, indicating the validity of the Franck-Condon approximation and the interaction mode coordinates.     

Finite difference simulation of nonlinear waves generated by ships of arbitrary three-dimensional configuration

A modified marker-and-cell method is developed in order to simulate nonlinear wave making in the near-field of ships of arbitrary three-dimensional (3D) configuration advancing steadily in deep water. The 3D Navier-Stokes equations are solved by a finite difference scheme under proper boundary conditions. Efforts are particularly focused on the treatment of the boundary conditions on the body surface and free surface which have complicated 3D configurations. An orthogonal cell system with more than 70,000 cells is used for the computation of the waves and flow field of ships. The agreement of computational results with experiment is good, and it promises effectiveness for engineering purposes.     

Generation of a squeezed vacuum resonant on a rubidium D1 line with periodically poled KTiOPO4

We report the generation of a continuous-wave squeezed vacuum resonant on the Rb D1 line (795 nm) using periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP) crystals. With a frequency doubler and an optical parametric oscillator based on PPKTP crystals, we observed a squeezing level of -2.75+/-0.14 dB and an antisqueezing level of +7.00+/-0.13 dB. This system could be utilized for demonstrating storage and retrieval of the squeezed vacuum, which is important for the ultraprecise measurement of atomic spins as well as quantum information processing.