Fusion reactions with the one-neutron halo nucleus (15)C

The structure of (15)C, with an s(1/2) neutron weakly bound to a closed-neutron shell nucleus (14)C, makes it a prime candidate for a one-neutron halo nucleus. We have for the first time studied the cross section for the fusion-fission reaction (15)C+(232)Th at energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier and compared it to the yield of the neighboring (14)C+(232)Th system measured in the same experiment. At sub-barrier energies, an enhancement of the fusion yield by factors of 2-5 was observed for (15)C, while the cross sections for (14)C match the trends measured for (12,13)C.     

Spatiotemporal dynamics of wormlike micelles under shear

Velocity profiles in a wormlike micelle solution (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide in D2O) are recorded using ultrasound every 2 s during a startup experiment into the shear-banding regime. The stress relaxation occurs over more than 6 h and corresponds to the very slow nucleation and growth of the high-shear band. Moreover, oscillations of the interface position with a period of about 50 s are observed during the growth process. Strong wall slip, metastable states, and transient nucleation of three-band flows are also reported and discussed in light of previous experiments and theoretical models.     

Difference in icosahedral short-range order in early and late transition metal liquids

New short-range order data are presented for equilibrium and undercooled liquids of Ti and Ni. These were obtained from in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements of electrostatically levitated droplets. While the short-range order of liquid Ni is icosahedral, consistent with Frank's hypothesis, significantly distorted icosahedral order is observed in liquid Ti. This is the first experimental observation of distorted icosahedral short-range order in any liquid, although this has been predicted by theoretical studies on atomic clusters.     

Inhibition of the reduction of Cr(VI) at the magnetite–water interface by calcium carbonate coatings

The effect of calcium carbonate coatings on the reduction of aqueous chromate on the magnetite(1 1 1) surface has been investigated using a combination of synchrotron based X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, along with laboratory-based powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). CaCO₃ coatings (dominantly calcite with minor quantities of aragonite and vaterite) of thicknesses ranging from 10 Å to 20 m were grown on magnetite(1 1 1) surfaces by exposure to supersaturated aqueous solutions followed by evaporation of the solution—a process that mimics pore-water evaporation in vadose zones leading to the formation of caliche and calcium carbonate coatings on mineral grains. Coating thicknesses were determined from attenuation of the Fe 2p photoemission signal by the carbonate coating. For coatings less than 15 Å thick, Cr 2p photoemission and Cr L_II, L_III-edge XANES spectra show that chromate is reduced by the underlying magnetite surface; however, as the minimum coating thickness increases beyond 15 Å, the magnetite surface becomes passivated and further chromate reduction ceases. Our findings suggest that carbonate coatings on natural magnetite grains can significantly reduce or eliminate their ability to reduce Cr(VI), which is a toxic and highly mobile environmental contaminant.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Subscript>∞</Subscript>-Algebras from Multisymplectic Geometry

A manifold is multisymplectic, or more specifically n-plectic, if it is equipped with a closed nondegenerate differential form of degree n + 1. In previous work with Baez and Hoffnung, we described how the ‘higher analogs’ of the algebraic and geometric structures found in symplectic geometry should naturally arise in 2-plectic geometry. In particular, just as a symplectic manifold gives a Poisson algebra of functions, any 2-plectic manifold gives a Lie 2-algebra of 1-forms and functions. Lie n-algebras are examples of L _∞-algebras: graded vector spaces equipped with a collection of skew-symmetric multi-brackets that satisfy a generalized Jacobi identity. Here, we generalize our previous result. Given an n-plectic manifold, we explicitly construct a corresponding Lie n-algebra on a complex consisting of differential forms whose multi-brackets are specified by the n-plectic structure. We also show that any n-plectic manifold gives rise to another kind of algebraic structure known as a differential graded Leibniz algebra. We conclude by describing the similarities between these two structures within the context of an open problem in the theory of strongly homotopy algebras. We also mention a possible connection with the work of Barnich, Fulp, Lada, and Stasheff on the Gelfand–Dickey–Dorfman formalism.     

Programmed discrimination of qbits with added classical information

We investigate some properties of programmed quantum-state discriminators with simple programs. Bergou et al. [Phys. Rev. A 73, 062334 (2006)] have considered programmable devices which are supplied with two distinct but unknown program qbits and one data qbit which is certain to be identical to one or other of the program qbits. The task is to discriminate between the first and the second possibility. In this paper, we consider this state-discrimination problem when there is some additional classical information available. We find that in the minimum error discrimination mode, the probability of correct discrimination is increased by each type of classical information. The same is broadly true of unambiguous discrimination, with the chance of success improving when the overlap between the program qbits is reduced.     

A moving zone of quiet for narrowband noise in a one-dimensional duct using virtual sensing

A frequent problem in active noise control is that the zone of quiet created at the error sensor tends to be very small. This means that the error sensor generally needs to be located close to an observer's ear, which might not always be a convenient or feasible solution. Virtual sensing is a method that can move the zone of quiet away from the error sensor to a desired location that is spatially fixed. This method has been investigated previously, and has shown potential to improve the performance of an active noise control system. However, it is very likely that the desired location of the zone of quiet is not spatially fixed. An active noise control system incorporating a virtual sensing method thus has to be able to create a moving zone of quiet that tracks the observer's ears. This paper presents a method for creating a moving zone of quiet based on the LMS virtual microphone technique. To illustrate the proposed method, it is implemented in an acoustic duct and narrowband control results are presented. These results show that a moving zone of quiet was effectively created inside the duct for narrowband noise.     

Hole burning—EIT studies of the NV centre in diamond

The negative nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond is used to illustrate electromagnetically induced transparency features within a coherent hole. A hole is created in an inhomogeneously broadened electron spin transition and its spectrum modified by driving hyperfine transitions. The modified spectrum is discussed in terms of dressed states of the system, and the spectrum is shown to be in good correspondence with numerical solutions of the density matrix for the doubly driven system.