Azide addition to an endohedral metallofullerene: formation of azafulleroids of Sc3N@I(h)-C80

The reaction of an organic azide with an endohedral metallofullerene has been investigated for the first time. Isomeric [5,6]- and [6,6]-azafulleroids can be obtained from the thermal reaction of Sc(3)N@I(h)-C(80) with 4-isopropoxyphenyl azide, while photoirradiation leads exclusively to the [6,6]-azafulleroid. An unprecedented thermal interconversion between the two isomeric azafulleroids has also been discovered.     

Determination of the axial-vector weak coupling constant with ultracold neutrons

A precise measurement of the neutron decay β asymmetry A? has been carried out using polarized ultracold neutrons from the pulsed spallation ultracold neutron source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Combining data obtained in 2008 and 2009, we report A? = -0.119?66±0.000?89{-0.001?40}{+0.001?23}, from which we determine the ratio of the axial-vector to vector weak coupling of the nucleon g{A}/g{V}=-1.275?90{-0.004?45}{+0.004?09}.     

Working group report: Heavy-ion physics and quark-gluon plasma

This is the report of Heavy Ion Physics and Quark-Gluon Plasma at WHEPP-09 which was part of Working Group-4. Discussion and work on some aspects of quark-gluon plasma believed to have created in heavy-ion collisions and in early Universe are reported.     

Quantum space-times in the year 2002

We review certain emergent notions on the nature of space-time from noncommutative geometry and their radical implications. These ideas of space-time are suggested from developments in fuzzy physics, string theory, and deformation quantization. The review focuses on the ideas coming from fuzzy physics. We find models of quantum space-time like fuzzy S ⁴ on which states cannot be localized, but which fluctuate into other manifolds like CP³. New uncertainty principles concerning such lack of localizability on quantum space-times are formulated. Such investigations show the possibility of formulating and answering questions like the probability of finding a point of a quantum manifold in a state localized on another one. Additional striking possibilities indicated by these developments is the (generic) failure of CPT theorem and the conventional spin-statistics connection. They even suggest that Planck’s ‘constant’ may not be a constant, but an operator which does not commute with all observables. All these novel possibilities arise within the rules of conventional quantum physics, and with no serious input from gravity physics.     

Mild decarboxylative activation of malonic acid derivatives by 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole

Malonic acid derivatives undergo unusually mild decarboxylation when treated with N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) at room temperature to generate the carbonyl imidazole moiety in high yield, which can be reacted further with a variety of nucleophiles in an efficient one-pot process.     

Heterogeneous condensation of the Lennard-Jones vapor onto a nanoscale seed particle

The heterogeneous condensation of a Lennard-Jones vapor onto a nanoscale seed particle is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Measuring the nucleation rate and the height of the free energy barrier using the mean first passage time method shows that the presence of a weakly interacting seed has little effect on the work of forming very small cluster embryos but accelerates the rate by lowering the barrier for larger clusters. We suggest that this results from a competition between the energetic and entropic features of cluster formation in the bulk and at the heterogeneity. As the interaction is increased, the free energy of formation is reduced for all cluster sizes. We also develop a simple phenomenological model of film formation on a small seed that captures the general features of the nucleation process for small heterogeneities. A comparison of our simulation results with the model shows that heterogeneous classical nucleation theory provides a good estimate of the critical size of the film but significantly overestimates the size of the barrier.