A system of strings and springs in three dimensions

A three-dimensional array of classical strings and springs oscillating in three dimensions is investigated with combined analytical-numerical tools. The strings are continuous and linear. The long time behavior of the system changes dramatically when the springs are changed from linear to non-linear. The equipartition of energy, even among the particles, is badly violated. The power spectrum is consistent with chaotic motion. The maximal Lyapunov exponent is vanishing within our approximation. The most remarkable finding is a certain pairing of time averages for the particles, which occurs for many initial conditions in the non-linear case.     

Self-broadened widths and shifts of CO2: 4750-7000 cm

In the previous paper, we report line strength measurements for 58 bands of ¹²CO₂ between 4550 and 7000 cm⁻¹ [R.A. Toth, L.R. Brown, C.E. Miller, V. Malathy Devi, D. Chris Benner, J. Mol. Spectrosc., this issue, doi:10.1016/j.jms.2006.008.001.]. In the present study, self-broadenedwidth and self-induced pressure shift coefficients are determined in two intervals:

(a) between 4750 and 5400 cm⁻¹for bands of the Fermi triad (20011 ← 00001, 20012 ← 00001, 20013 ← 00001), three corresponding hot bands (21111 ← 01101, 21112 ← 01101, 21113 ← 01101) and the 01121← 00001 combination band;

(b) between 6100 and 7000 cm⁻¹ for the Fermi tetrad (30014 ← 00001, 30013 ← 00001, 30012 ← 00001, 30011 ← 00001), two associated hot bands (31113 ← 01101, 31112 ← 01101), as well as 00031 ← 00001 and its hot band 01131 ← 01101.

Least-squares fits of the experimental width and pressure shift coefficients are modeled using empirical expressions:

     

Interferometers for displacement-noise-free gravitational-wave detection

We propose a class of displacement- and laser-noise-free gravitational-wave-interferometer configurations, which does not sense nongeodesic mirror motion and laser noise, but provides a nonvanishing gravitational-wave signal. Our interferometers consist of four mirrors and two beam splitters, which form four Mach-Zehnder interferometers. By contrast to previous works, no composite mirrors with multiple reflective surfaces are required. Each mirror in our configuration is sensed redundantly, by at least two pairs of incident and reflected beams. Displacement- and laser-noise-free detection is achieved when output signals from these four interferometers are combined appropriately. Our 3-dimensional interferometer configuration has a low-frequency response proportional to f2, which is better than the f3 achievable by previous 2-dimensional configurations.     

Spectroscopy and rectification of three donor-sigma-acceptor compounds, consisting of a one-electron donor (pyrene or ferrocene), a one-electron acceptor (perylenebisimide), and a C19 swallowtail

We report spectroscopic characterization and unimolecular rectification (asymmetric electrical conduction) measurements of three donor-sigma-acceptor (D-sigma-A) compounds N-(10-nonadecyl)-N-(1-pyrenylmethyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (1), N-(10-nonadecyl)-N-(4-[1-pyrenyl]butyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (2), and N-(10-nonadecyl)-N-(2-ferrocenylethyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (3). These molecules were arranged as one-molecule thick Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers between Au electrodes. In such an "Au | D-sigma-A | Au" sandwich, molecule 1 is a unimolecular rectifier, with rather small rectification ratios (between 2 and 3 at +/-1 V) that decrease upon cycling. Molecule 2 does not rectify. Molecule 3 rectifies, with a rectification ratio of between 14 and 28 at +/-1 V; the through-film rectification and currents persist, even with scans of +/-2 V, for up to 40 cycles of measurement. Qualitative arguments, based on a two-level rectification mechanism, are consistent with the current asymmetries observed in the monolayers of 1 and 3.     

Low frequency electromagnetic waves in a multi-ion plasma

The dispersion characteristics of low-frequency electromagnetic waves are studied in a plasma containing hydrogen ions and positively and negatively charged oxygen ions and electrons. This composition of the plasma approximates very well the coma of comet Halley where many heavy ions have been observed in appreciable numbers. The excitation of these waves results from the relative motion between the protons and the heavy ions, which are considered unmagnetised and, therefore, may act like a beam. We find that the wave growth increases with increasing heavy ion densities, beam velocities and propagation angles.     

Vibrational relaxation study in 4-chloroacetophenone

Vibrational relaxation process has been emerged as a useful tool in probing the nature of solute solvent interactions in liquid phase. The Laser Raman techniques have been used to study the vibrational and rotational frequencies of molecules, which provide detailed information about the dynamic processes involved in liquids. Raman spectra of C=O stretching mode of 4-chloroacetophenone dissolved in acetonitrile and chlorobenzene have been recorded as a function of solvent concentration ranging from 10% to 90% concentration at room temperature. The 4-chloroacetophenone is a molecule having wide application in manufacture of drugs, perfumes and cosmetics. This study may provide useful information about the vibrational relaxation mechanisms in liquid solutions at molecular level. The Laser Raman components were determined and the spectra were analyzed at different solvent concentrations. The theoretical models have been tested and compare with the experimental results.     

Cryogenic absorption cells operating inside a Bruker IFS-125HR: First results for CH4 at 7 μm

New absorption cells designed specifically to achieve stable temperatures down to 66 K inside the sample compartment of an evacuated Bruker IFS-125HR Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) were developed at Connecticut College and tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The temperature stabilized cryogenic cells with path lengths of 24.29 and 20.38 cm were constructed of oxygen free high conductivity (OFHC) copper and fitted with wedged ZnSe windows using vacuum tight indium seals. In operation, the temperature-controlled cooling by a closed-cycle helium refrigerator achieved stability of ±0.01 K. The unwanted absorption features arising from cryodeposits on the cell windows at low temperatures were eliminated by building an internal vacuum shroud box around the cell which significantly minimized the growth of cryodeposits. The effects of vibrations from the closed-cycle helium refrigerator on the FTS spectra were characterized. Using this set up, several high-resolution spectra of methane isotopologues broadened with nitrogen were recorded in the 1200-1800 cm⁻¹ spectral region at various sample temperatures between 79.5 and 296 K. Such data are needed to characterize the temperature dependence of spectral line shapes at low temperatures for remote sensing of outer planets and their moons. Initial analysis of a limited number of spectra in the region of the R(2) manifold of the ν₄ fundamental band of ¹³CH₄ indicated that an empirical power law used for the temperature dependence of the N₂-broadened line widths would fail to fit the observed data in the entire temperature range from 80 to 296 K; instead, it follows a temperature-dependence similar to that reported by Mondelain et al. [17] and [18]. The initial test was very successful proving that a high precision Fourier transform spectrometer with a completely evacuated optical path can be configured for spectroscopic studies at low temperatures relevant to the planetary atmospheres.     

Multispectrum analysis of CH4 in the ν4 spectral region: II. Self-broadened half widths, pressure-induced shifts, temperature dependences and line mixing

Accurate values for line positions, absolute line intensities, self-broadened half width and self-pressure-induced shift coefficients have been measured for over 400 allowed and forbidden transitions in the ν₄ band of methane (¹²CH₄). Temperature dependences of half width and pressure-induced shift coefficients were also determined for many of these transitions. The spectra used in this study were recorded at temperatures between 210 and 314 K using the National Solar Observatory's 1 m Fourier transform spectrometer at the McMath-Pierce solar telescope. The complete data set included 60 high-resolution (0.006-0.01 cm⁻¹) absorption spectra of pure methane and methane mixed with dry air. The analysis was performed using a multispectrum nonlinear least squares curve fitting technique where a number of spectra (20 or more) were fit simultaneously in spectral intervals 5-15 cm⁻¹ wide. In addition to the line broadening and shift parameters, line mixing coefficients (using the off-diagonal relaxation matrix element formalism) were determined for more than 50 A-, E-, and F-species transition pairs in J manifolds of the P- and R-branches. The measured self-broadened half width and self-shift coefficients, their temperature dependences and the line mixing parameters are compared to self-broadening results available in the literature and to air-broadened parameters determined for these transitions from the same set of spectra.     

Multispectrum analysis of the ν9 band of C2H6: Positions, intensities, self- and N2-broadened half-width coefficients

Line positions, intensities, Lorentz self- and N₂-broadened half-width coefficients have been measured for ^PQ₃, ^PQ₂, ^PQ₁, ^RQ₀, ^RQ₁, ^RQ₂, and ^RQ₃ sub-band transitions in the ν₉ fundamental band of ¹²C₂H₆. A multispectrum nonlinear least-squares fitting technique was used to fit up to 17 high-resolution (∼0.00156 cm⁻¹), room temperature absorption spectra of pure (99.99% chemical purity) natural sample of ethane and lean mixtures of the high-purity ethane diluted with N₂. A Bruker IFS 120HR Fourier transform spectrometer located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), in Richland, Washington was used to record the data. A standard Voigt line shape was assumed to fit all the data since no line mixing or other non Voigt line shapes were required to fit any of the spectra used in the analysis. Short spectral intervals (∼2-2.5 cm⁻¹) of all 17 spectra covering a specific ^PQ or ^RQ sub-band were fit simultaneously. For the first time in an ethane band, pressure-broadened half-width coefficients were determined for the torsional-split components. However, for better reliability of the retrieved coefficients for the weaker components (transitions with large intensity ratios of 4:1 or 3:1 for most K levels between the strong and weak components), constraints were used such that the half-width coefficients of both torsional-split components for a given J were identical for a specific broadening gas. No pressure-induced shift coefficients were necessary to fit the spectra to their noise level. The present study revealed for the first time the dependence of self- and N₂-broadened half-width coefficients upon the J, K quantum numbers of the transitions in ethane. A number of transitions belonging to the ν₉+ν₄−ν₄ and the ν₉+2ν₄−2ν₄ hot bands were also observed in the fitted regions and measurements were made when possible.     

Phonon dispersion and specific heat in ω-helical poly-N ∊(p-bromobenzoyl-l-ornithine)

Poly-N ^?(p-bromobenzoyl-l-ornithine) (PBrBO) is one of the few biopolymers existing in the rare ω-helical (fourfold) conformation. It can be obtained from the α form through an irreversible heat treatment. A study of its normal modes and dispersive behavior shows several interesting features such as “crossing over,” “repulsion with character exchange,” and Von Hove type “singularities” which lead to a fuller interpretation of its IR spectra. The existence of alternately different side-chain conformations, which makes the phonon problem too large to solve directly, has been taken into account by considering the vibrations of the PBrBO chains with two independent conformations. Detailed study of skeletal, amide, and side-chain modes is reported, and the results have been used for the calculation of specific heat via density of states.