Rounding by disorder of first-order quantum phase transitions: emergence of quantum critical points

We give a heuristic argument for disorder rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition into a continuous phase transition. From both weak and strong disorder analysis of the N-color quantum Ashkin-Teller model in one spatial dimension, we find that, for N > or =3, the first-order transition is rounded to a continuous transition and the physical picture is the same as the random transverse field Ising model for a limited parameter regime. The results are strikingly different from the corresponding classical problem in two dimensions where the fate of the renormalization group flows is a fixed point corresponding to N-decoupled pure Ising models.     

Effect of characteristics of shear force on secondary structures and viscosity of bovine serum albumin solution

We have explored the effect of shear force on aggregate size, the secondary structure of proteins, and the viscosity of protein bovine serum albumin solution. The size of protein aggregates and secondary structures of the protein are dependent on the external variables such as temperature, the magnitude of shear, time of shearing, and process of applying shear. The process of application of shear, which can be continuous or intermittent periodic stoppage, can control the characteristics of aggregates of BSA. The viscosity of the protein solution is expected to depend on the size of the aggregates. We have proposed a mechanism of the association of BSA molecules leading to the formation of aggregates. Small aggregates at 40 °C are formed through the interaction of side chains, while bigger aggregates formed at 60 °C through β-sheet interaction. The indication of the opening of the BSA molecules at an intermediate temperature is confirmed by the appearance of more side chain and random coil. The shear leads to a highly anisotropic structure at a temperature beyond 60 °C and leads to the higher hydrodynamic radius. This makes the solution to undergo transition from dilute to semi-dilute regime and increase in viscosity by a factor fourfold. Subsequently, we have shown that the viscosity depends on the proportion of β-sheet within the aggregate.     

Sensing Tryptophan Microenvironment of Amyloid Protein Utilizing Wavelength-Selective Fluorescence Approach

Structural transition among various forms of proteins involves subtle interplay between structure and dynamics and is crucial in human diseases. Red edge excitation shift (REES) represents a suitable approach to explore the environmental organization and dynamics surrounding tryptophan residues in proteins. Although REES from tryptophan residues has been reported for native, molten globule and denatured states of proteins, such data on the amyloid form of proteins is lacking. κ-casein is one of the most important constituents of casein micelles in milk and has a tendency to form amyloid fibril. We report here REES of the sole tryptophan residue for native, acid-denatured and urea-denatured forms of κ-casein. More importantly, we show that the amyloid form of κ-casein displays REES of 4 nm. We analyze these results in terms of tryptophan microenvironment in various forms of κ-casein, particularly the amyloid form. We conclude that REES is a sensitive tool to monitor structural plasticity in proteins.     

Generation of femtosecond X-ray pulses via laser–electron beam interaction

The generation of femtosecond X-ray pulses will have important scientific applications by enabling the direct measurement of atomic motion and structural dynamics in condensed matter on the fundamental time scale of a vibrational period. Interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with relativistic electron beams is an effective approach to generating femtosecond pulses of X-rays. In this paper we present recent results from proof-of-principle experiments in which 300 fs pulses are generated from a synchrotron storage ring by using an ultrashort optical pulse to create femtosecond time structure on the stored electron bunch. A previously demonstrated approach for generating femtosecond X-rays via Thomson scattering between terawatt laser pulses and relativistic electrons is reviewed and compared with storage-ring based schemes.     

A Low Noise NbTiN-Based 850 GHz SIS Receiver for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

We have developed a niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) based superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) receiver to cover the 350 micron atmospheric window. This frequency band lies entirely above the energy gap of niobium (700 GHz), a commonly used SIS superconductor. The instrument uses an open structure twin-slot SIS mixer that consists of two Nb/AlN/NbTiN tunnel junctions, NbTiN thin-film microstrip tuning elements, and a NbTiN ground plane. The optical configuration is very similar to the 850 GHz waveguide receiver that was installed at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) in 1997. To minimize front-end loss, we employed reflecting optics and a cooled beamsplitter at 4 K. The instrument has an uncorrected receiver noise temperature of 205K DSB at 800 GHz and 410K DSB at 900 GHz. The degradation in receiver sensitivity with frequency is primarily due to an increase in the mixer conversion loss, which is attributed to the mismatch between the SIS junction and the twin-slot antenna impedance. The overall system performance has been confirmed through its use at the telescope to detect a wealth of new spectroscopic lines.     

Synthesis and crystal structure characterization of iron(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) complexes with 1,3-bis(2-pyridylmethylthio)propane

Three new mononuclear complexes of nitrogen–sulfur donor sets, formulated as [Fe^II(L)Cl₂] (1), [Co^II(L)Cl₂] (2) and [Ni^II(L)Cl₂] (3) where L = 1,3-bis(2-pyridylmethylthio)propane, were synthesized and isolated in their pure form. All the complexes were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The solid state structures of complexes 1 and 3 have been established by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The structural analysis evidences isomorphous crystals with the metal ion in a distorted octahedral geometry that comprises NSSN ligand donors with trans located pyridine rings and chlorides in cis positions. In dimethylformamide solution, the complexes were found to exhibit Fe^II/Fe^III, Co^II/Co^III and Ni^II/Ni^III quasi-reversible redox couples in cyclic voltammograms with E_1/2 values (versus Ag/AgCl at 298 K) of +0.295, +0.795 and +0.745 V for 1, 2 and 3, respectively.     

Synthesis,crystal structures and spectroscopic properties of two Zn(II) Schiff’s base complexes of pyridoxal

Two mononuclear zinc(II) complexes, [ZnL¹H₂Cl]Cl·2H₂O (1·Cl·2H₂O) and [ZnL²HCl]·H₂O (2·H₂O) (L¹H₂ and L²H₂ are N,N′-bis(pyridoxylidene)ethylenediamine and N,N′-bis(pyridoxylidene)1,3-propanediamine, respectively) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, fluorescence spectroscopy, TG–DTA and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The Zn(II) ion in complex 1 have a square pyramidal geometry with appreciable distortion towards trigonal bipyramid, whereas in 2 it has a geometry which is near the midpoint of square pyramid and trigonal bipyramid. The zinc atom is coordinated by two imine nitrogens, two phenolic oxygens and one chloride ion. The Zn(II) complexes show emission at 462 nm when excited at their lowest energy absorption at 372 nm.     

Effects of Temperature on Enantiomerization Energy and Distribution of Isomers in the Chiral Cu13 Cluster

In this study, we report the lowest energy structure of bare Cu₁₃ nanoclusters as a pair of enantiomers at room temperature. Moreover, we compute the enantiomerization energy for the interconversion from minus to plus structures in the chiral putative global minimum for temperatures ranging from 20 to 1300 K. Additionally, employing nanothermodynamics, we compute the probabilities of occurrence for each particular isomer as a function of temperature. To achieve that, we explore the free energy surface of the Cu₁₃ cluster, employing a genetic algorithm coupled with density functional theory. Moreover, we discuss the energetic ordering of isomers computed with various density functionals. Based on the computed thermal population, our results show that the chiral putative global minimum strongly dominates at room temperature.     

Effect of rigid boundary on the propagation of torsional waves in a homogeneous layer over a heterogeneous half-space

In the present paper we study the effect of rigid boundary on the propagation of torsional waves in a homogeneous layer over a semi-infinite heterogeneous half-space, where the heterogeneity is both in rigidity and density. The present study demonstrates that torsional waves can propagate in the layer. The velocities of torsional waves have been calculated numerically as a functions of KH, (where K is the wave number and H is the thickness of the layer) and are presented in a number of graphs. It is also observed that, for a layer over a homogeneous half-space, the velocity of torsional waves does not coincide with that of Love waves in the presence of the rigid boundary whereas it does at the free boundary.     

The dispersion of shear wave in multilayered magnetoelastic self-reinforced media

In this paper, we study the propagation of shear waves in a magnetoelastic self-reinforced medium using finite difference technique. Dispersion equation has been deduced for the case when (n ? 1) layers lie over a half space. It is observed that the obtained dispersion equation is in assertion with the classical Love wave equation for both the cases when a single and double layer lies over a half space. The stability condition for the used finite difference scheme and the expression for the phase and group velocity have been derived. The dispersion curve for different values of magnetoelastic coupling parameter, phase and group velocity variation for different values of stability ratio has been depicted by means of graphs.