Studies on the valence electronic structure of Fe and Ni in Fe x Ni1−x alloys

K _β-to-K _α X-ray intensity ratios of Fe and Ni in pure metals and in Fe _x Ni_1−x alloys (x=0.20, 0.50, 0.58) exhibiting similar crystalline structure have been measured following excitation by 59.54 keV γ-rays from a ²⁴¹Am point source, to understand as to why the properties of permalloy Fe_0.2Ni_0.8 is distinct from other alloy compositions. It is observed that the valence electronic structure of Fe_0.2Ni_0.8 alloy is totally different from other alloys which may be attributed to its special magnetic properties.     

Backlund transformations and exact solutions for a nonlinear elliptic equation modelling isothermal magnetostatic atmosphere

The equations of magnetostatic equilibria for a plasma in agravitational field are investigated analytically. For equilibriawith an ignorable spatial coordinate, the equations reduce toa single nonlinear elliptic equation for the magnetic potentialu known as the Grad-Shafranov equation. By specifying the arbitraryfunctions in this equation, a Liouville equation is obtained.Bäcklund transformations are described and applied to obtainexact solutions for the Liouville equation modelling an isothermalmagnetostatic atmosphere, in which the current density J isproportional to the exponential of the magnetic potential andmoveover falls off exponentially with distance vertical to thebase with an e-folding distance equal to the gravitational scaleheight.     

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.     

Chiral symmetry breaking in nonequilibrium chemical systems: Time scales for chiral selection

The process through which an extremely weak parity violating interaction, of energy ΔE, can become the selector of molecular chirality over a sufficiently long time is discussed. For a model system it is shown that ΔE ≈ 5 × 10^-15kT can give a 90% selectivity in about 300 h - smaller ΔE being relevant to prebiotic evolution.     

Three-dimensional description of the spontaneous onset of homochirality on the surface of a conglomerate crystal phase

The spontaneous emergence of homochirality in an initially racemic system can be obtained in far-from-equilibrium states. Traditional models do not take into account the influence of inhomogeneities, while they may be of great importance. What would happen when one configuration emerges at one position, and the opposite one at another position? We present a discrete three-dimensional model of conglomerate crystallization, based on 1,1'-binaphthyl crystallization experiments, that takes into account the position and environment of every single elementary growth subunit. Stochastic simulations were performed to predict the evolution of the crystallization process. It is shown that the traditional view of the symmetry breaking can then be extended. Fluctuations of the fixed points related to inhomogeneities are observed, and complex behavior, such as local instabilities, transient structures, and chaotic behavior, can emerge. Our modeling indicates that such complex phenomena could cause large fluctuation of the final enantiomeric excess that is observed experimentally in binaphthyl crystallization. The results presented in this article show the importance of inhomogeneities in understanding enantiomeric excess generated in crystallization and the inadequacy of the models based on the assumption of homogeneity.     

Kinetic model for the chiral symmetry breaking transition in the growth front of a conglomerate crystal phase

In its molten phase, 1,1'-binaphthyl is racemic due to its high racemization rate, but it can crystallize as a conglomerate of R and S crystals. Our experiments have indicated that, under some conditions, the crystal growth front of 1,1'-binaphthyl shows many of the characteristics of an open system in which chiral symmetry is broken; i.e., the growing solid phase becomes predominantly R or S. Here we present a kinetic model to explain the observed chiral symmetry breaking. The model is based on growth due to attachment of R or S growth units to a crystal surface in a supercooled melt. Chiral symmetry breaking occurs due to chirally autocatalytic formation of R or S growth units on the growth surface. Unlike the many models suggested and studied in the 1980s, there is no cross-inhibition between R- and S-enantiomer in the model presented here. In our model, asymmetric and symmetric steady-state solutions that do not intersect were found. Through linear stability analysis, the critical point, at which a symmetric solution becomes unstable and makes a transition to an asymmetric solution, is determined.     

Dissipative Structures,Organisms and Evolution

Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems has been known for over 50 years. Under nonequilibrium conditions, the state of a system can become unstable and a transition to an organized structure can occur. Such structures include oscillating chemical reactions and spatiotemporal patterns in chemical and other systems. Because entropy and free-energy dissipating irreversible processes generate and maintain these structures, these have been called dissipative structures. Our recent research revealed that some of these structures exhibit organism-like behavior, reinforcing the earlier expectation that the study of dissipative structures will provide insights into the nature of organisms and their origin. In this article, we summarize our study of organism-like behavior in electrically and chemically driven systems. The highly complex behavior of these systems shows the time evolution to states of higher entropy production. Using these systems as an example, we present some concepts that give us an understanding of biological organisms and their evolution.     

Chiral symmetry breaking in crystallization: the role of convection

Chiral symmetry breaking in stirred crystallization of sodium chlorate ( NaClO3) occurs via the production of secondary crystals from a single "mother crystal." Martin, Tharrington, and Wu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2826 (1996)] investigated this phenomenon and concluded that it was mechanical crushing of a crystal by the stir bar, not convection, that produces secondary crystals from a single crystal. Here we report the generation of secondary crystals of sodium chlorate when a saturated solution of sodium chlorate is simply made to flow over a sodium bromate ( NaBrO3) crystal. This clearly shows that fluid flows alone can generate and disperse secondary nuclei.     

Bile Enhances Cell Surface Hydrophobicity and Biofilm Formation of Bifidobacteria

Twenty-four human bifidobacterial strains were analysed for cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) using a salt aggregation test (SAT) and a Congo red binding (CRB) assay. Three strains were selected for a systematic study on the CSH and biofilm formation: Bifidobacterium breve 46, Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 8:8 and a reference strain B. animalis ssp. lactis JCM 10602. CRB of the B. breve 46 and B. animalis ssp. lactis JCM 10602 was significantly enhanced (P?<?0.05) when grown in deMan–Rogosa–Sharpe cysteine (MRSC) broth supplemented with taurocholic acid (TA) or native porcine bile (PB). An enhanced CSH of the strains grown with PB and gastric mucin correlated with an increased mucin binding and an enhanced biofilm formation in prebiotic oligosaccharide-supplemented cultures. The three strains showed late bile-induced biofilm (72 h) under an anaerobic growth condition, and both B. animalis ssp. lactis strains showed a late bile-induced biofilm formation under aerobic conditions shown by crystal violet staining. These two strains were thus considered to be oxygen tolerant and more robust. Furthermore, enhanced biofilm formation of these robust bifidobacterial strains in the presence of prebiotics may allow for strong colonisation in the gastrointestinal tract when administered to in vivo models as a “synbiotic supplement”.     

A multilayer model for self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of intermetallic compounds

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of intermetallic compounds is of wide interest. We consider reactions in a binary system in which the rise and fall of the temperature during the reaction is such that one of the reacting metals melts but not the other. For such a system, using the phase diagram of the binary system, we present a general theory that describes the reaction taking place in a single solid particle of one component surrounded by the melt of the second component. The theory gives us a set of kinetic equations that describe the propagation of the phase interfaces in the solid particle and the change in composition of the melt that surrounds it. In this article, we derive a set of equations for one- and two-layer systems in which each layer is a binary compound in the phase diagram. The system of equations is numerically solved for Al-Ni to illustrate the applicability of the theory. The method presented here is general and, depending on the complexity of the phase diagram, it could be used to obtain similar equations for systems with more layers.