Formal degree and existence of stable arithmetic lattices of cuspidal representations ofp-adic reductive groups

Research at MSRI supported in part by NSF Grant DMS-812079-05     

Low-temperature reaction of magnesium with fluorobenzene

The low-temperature reaction of magnesium with fluorobenzene has been investigated. Joint condensation of magnesium and fluorobenzene vapours at low temperatures quantitatively gave phenylmagnesium fluoride in one stage.     

The role of the spontaneous electrooptical effect in the formation of electroholographic properties of strontium barium niobate crystals

The possibility of usage of the spontaneous electrooptical (EO) effect in strontium barium niobate (SBN) crystals for the creation of controlled electroholographic elements is studied. It is found that unipolar EO properties of these crystals with respect to switching their spontaneous polarization make it possible to devise field-controlled holographic elements with reversible energy-independent memory for spatial position of an optical beam.     

Cyclic cohomology and algebra extensions

We construct a spectral sequence to study cyclic cohomology for an extension A = R/I of algebras. When R is a free algebra we describe the cyclic cohomology of A in terms of traces defined on R or powers of I. Explicit cyclic cocycles representing the cyclic cohomology class belonging to the trace are constructed as analogues of Chern character and Chern-Simons forms.Dedicated to Alexander Grothendieck     

Quantification of stable minor species in confined flames by cavity ring-down spectroscopy: application to NO

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) is used to measure the NO mole fraction formed in the burnt gases of low-pressure premixed flames. It is shown that the line-of-sight absorption is greatly increased by the contribution of the NO molecules surrounding the burner. This contribution has been quantified by developing a mathematical procedure taking into account the spatial and spectral features of the CRDS measurement. Calculations have been undertaken in the general case of a stable species not consumed in the flame. The most sensitive parameter is the temperature both in the flame and outside the flame. Simulations allow the selection of the best spectroscopic transitions for a given flame (i.e. a given temperature profile), ensuring the weakest influence of the inaccuracy affecting the temperature determination. High quantum states belonging to the A–X (0–1) band of NO have been found to be the most valuable and have led to a NO mole fraction determination with an accuracy of ±13%. NO absorption in the flame was completely masked using the A–X (0–0) band. Finally, the prompt-NO mole fraction formed in a methane/air flame stabilized at 33 Torr is obtained by combining CRDS and laser induced fluorescence techniques. Received: 12 October / Revised version: 1 February 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Mobile phase versus stationary phase approaches to the direct injection of biological fluids in liquid chromatography

The liquid chromatographic analysis of drugs in urine through direct injection without any sample pretreatment was extended to micellar chromatography with nonionic surfactants, the Pinkerton ISRP column and the shielded hydrophobic phase (Hisep) column. The feasibility of using each was demonstrated through the determination of the diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide, in urine. Good separation, recovery, precision and linearity, and adequate limits of detection were obtained for this analysis with all three techniques. The advantages and limitations of the mobile phase approach of micellar chromatography and the two stationary phase approaches are discussed for the direct injection of urine as well as other biological fluids.     

Transport properties of a side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer. Poly(4-acryloyloxy biphenyl)

The transport properties of a side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer forming a smectic A phase have been investigated using dichloromethane as a permeant. Samples differing in the isotropization enthaoly were analyzed. A. Correlation between this thermal parameter and sorption has been found, while the diffusion coefficient is substantially the same in all samples. The results obtained can be explained in terms of a biphasis model in which a disordered permeable phase is present within the liquid-crystalline phase, which is impermeable to the diffusant molecules.