Speculative and Hedging Interaction Model in Oil and U.S. Dollar Markets—Phase Transition

We show that there is a phase transition in the bounded rational Carfì–Musolino model, and the possibility of a market crash. This model has two types of operators: a real economic subject (Air) and one or more investment banks (Bank). It also has two markets: oil spot market and US dollar futures. Bank agents react to Air and equilibrate much more quickly than Air. Thus Air is an acting external agent due to its longer-term investing, whereas the action of the banks equilibrates before Air makes its next transaction. This model constitutes a potential game, and agents crowd their preferences into one of the markets at a critical temperature when air makes no purchases of oil futures.     

X-ray scattering measurements of radiative heating and cooling dynamics

Spectrally and time-resolved x-ray scattering is used to extract the temperature and charge state evolution in a near solid density carbon foam driven by a supersonic soft x-ray heat wave. The measurements show a rapid heating of the foam material (approximately 200 eV/ns) followed by a similarly fast decline in the electron temperature as the foam cools. The results are compared to an analytic power balance model and to results from radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. Finally, the combination of charge state and temperature extracted from this known density isochorically heated plasma is used to distinguish between dense plasma ionization balance models.     

Mechanical response measurements of real and artificial brass players lips

Mechanical frequency responses of human and artificial lips in brass instrument playing have been measured using a high-speed digital video technique, in an attempt to classify the true nature of the "lip-reed." Four semiprofessional human players were used, and three notes played on a trombone were studied. All measurements revealed a strong mechanical resonance with "outward striking" behavior; the played note always sounded above this frequency. Several measurements also showed a weaker second resonance, above the played frequency, with "inward striking" behavior. The Q values of the dominant resonances in human lips were lower than those typical of artificial lips.     

Time-domain measurement of spontaneous vibrational decay of magnetically trapped NH

The v=1-->0 radiative lifetime of NH(X(3)Sigma(-),v=1,N=0) is determined to be tau_(rad,exp.)=37.0+/-0.5_(stat)+2.0/-0.8_(syst) ms, corresponding to a transition dipole moment of |mu_(10)|=0.0540_(-0.0018)(+0.0009) D. To achieve sufficiently long observation times, NH(X;{3}Sigma;{-},v=1) radicals are magnetically trapped using helium buffer-gas loading. The rate constant for background helium-induced collisional quenching was determined to be k_(v=1)<3.9x10(-15) cm(3) s(-1), which yields the quoted systematic uncertainty on tau_{rad,exp.}. With a new ab initio dipole moment function and a Rydberg-Klein-Rees potential, we calculate a lifetime of 36.99 ms, in agreement with our experimental value.     

Anomalous orbital-energy changes observed during spacecraft flybys of earth

We report and characterize anomalous orbital-energy changes observed during six Earth flybys by the Galileo, NEAR, Cassini, Rosetta, and MESSENGER spacecraft. These anomalous energy changes are consistent with an empirical prediction formula which is proportional to the total orbital energy per unit mass and which involves the incoming and outgoing geocentric latitudes of the asymptotic spacecraft velocity vectors. We use this formula to predict a potentially detectable flyby velocity increase of less than 1 mm/s for a second Rosetta flyby on November 13, 2007.     

Laser pumping of ions in a cooler buncher

Optical experiments at the IGISOL isotope separator facility, Jyväskylä, have for many years benefited from the introduction of an ion beam cooler. The device, a gas-filled RF quadrupole, reduces the emittance and longitudinal energy spread of the ion beam. Very recently, use has been made of the axial confinement of slowly travelling ions at the end of the cooler to redistribute the electronic populations through efficient laser excitation. Such a technique has proved beneficial to laser spectroscopic measurements and is a precursor to using the method to polarize the ion beam.     

Characterization and optimization of high-power InGaAs/InP photodiodes

The performance of 34-μm-diameter InGaAs/InP charge compensated modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (CC MUTCs) is studied using a commercial device simulator based on a drift-diffusion model. Excellent agreement has been achieved between simulations and experiments. The origin of the degradation of responsivity at high optical injection level is investigated. Parameters of the photodiode are further optimized to maximize the saturation current without sacrificing bandwidth and responsivity.     

Thermal and optical studies on some monomer and polymer diacetylenes

We describe the thermal and optical studies of some diacetylene molecules which were specially designed in an attempt to reduce the temperature at which the mesophase appears. Original studies were on symmetrical molecules and these were extended to include typical liquid crystal molecules with diacetylenes providing a polymeric backbone and unsymmetrically substituted diacetylenes including Schiffs bases with long alkyl chains.     

Explicit Series Formulae for the Evaluation of Integrals by the Method of Steepest Descents

Explicit series formulae are given for use in the method of steepest descents, where it is required to find the contribution to an integral of the form ∫e^vw(z)φ(z)dz from a well-isolated saddle point z₀. Here v is a large positive parameter, and w^(N)(z0) ≠ 0 while lower-order derivatives at z₀ are equal to zero. Examples where the formulae are helpful are presented.     

Spiroheterocycles derived prom tetralone

New 2-heterospirotetrahydronaphthalenes with 3-, 4- and 5-membered rings have been prepared during the development of routes to tetralone derived spiroaziridines.