Performance evaluation of fiber Bragg grating sensors by digital holographic technique, strain gauge measurement

In view of the growing interest for non-destructive tests of materials, geodynamical monitoring and in general remote sensing, there is a great effort to bring practical optical sensors from research labs to industrial and environmental applications. In this paper, we employ digital holographic technique as an efficient tool for evaluating the strain measurement capability of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG). A cantilever beam has been employed as a test structure under loading test. The strain measurements results obtained by fiber-based sensors have been compared to those obtained by using full-field digital holographic technique and point-wise strain gauge sensors glued on the same cantilever beam. A simple theoretical model is also presented to interpret and compare the experimental results coming from different techniques.     

Primitive rispetto all’ oscillazione

We study the real valued functions having a primitive with respect to the oscillation or a primitive with respect to the oscillation up to anegligible set.

---

---

Supported by MURST of Italy.     

On the pivot structure for the weighing matrix W(12,11)

In the present article we concentrate our study on the growth problem for the weighing matrix W(12,11) and show that the unique W(12,11) has three pivot structures. An improved algorithm for extending a k × k (0,+,-) matrix to a W(n,n-1), if possible, has been developed to simplify the proof. For the implementation of the algorithm special emphasis is given to the notions of data structures and parallel processing.     

Giant shot-like voltage noise in high current density Nb–AlOx–Nb superconducting tunnel junctions

The flat voltage noise component of current biased, high-transparency Nb/AlO_x/Nb superconducting tunnel junctions has been investigated at frequencies up to 70 kHz. Several aspects of the analyzed phenomena suggest the presence of current noise effects induced by the discreteness of the charge carriers. At subgap voltages, where excess currents occur, a behavior coherent with a multiple Andreev reflection-assisted transport through the tunnel barrier has been found. However, the measured charge values exceed any theoretical prediction.     

Involutions for upper triangular matrix algebras

In this paper we describe completely the involutions of the first kind of the algebra UT_n(F) of n×n upper triangular matrices. Every such involution can be extended uniquely to an involution on the full matrix algebra. We describe the equivalence classes of involutions on the upper triangular matrices. There are two distinct classes for UT_n(F) when n is even and a single class in the odd case.Furthermore we consider the algebra UT₂(F) of the 2×2 upper triangular matrices over an infinite field F of characteristic different from 2. For every involution *, we describe the *-polynomial identities for this algebra. We exhibit bases of the corresponding ideals of identities with involution, and compute the Hilbert (or Poincaré) series and the codimension sequences of the respective relatively free algebras.Then we consider the *-polynomial identities for the algebra UT₃(F) over a field of characteristic zero. We describe a finite generating set of the ideal of *-identities for this algebra. These generators are quite a few, and their degrees are relatively large. It seems to us that the problem of describing the *-identities for the algebra UT_n(F) of the n×n upper triangular matrices may be much more complicated than in the case of ordinary polynomial identities.     

Twist points of planar domains

We establish a potential theoretic approach to the study of twist points in the boundary of simply connected planar domains.

     

Magnetic behavior of the bond random mixed compound FE(BR x I1−x )2(x = 0.9) with Mössbauer spectroscopy

The bond random mixed compound Fe(Br_0.9I_0.1)₂ has been studied by magnetization and Mössbauer measurements. Although the zero-field cooled and field-cooled magnetization variations are not like a typical spin glass one, the Mössbauer spectrum below Néel temperature shows a hyperfine field distribution. It implies that the 10% FeI₂ mixed in FeBr₂ can be induced by the bond random effect which causes the sample to exhibit a spin glass-like behavior.     

Algorithmic and explicit determination of the Lovász number for certain circulant graphs

We consider the problem of computing the Lovász theta function for circulant graphs C_n,J of degree four with n vertices and chord length J, 2?J?n. We present an algorithm that takes O(J) operations if J is an odd number, and O(n/J) operations if J is even. On the considered class of graphs our algorithm strongly outperforms the known algorithms for theta function computation. We also provide explicit formulas for the important special cases J=2 and J=3.     

Fermi, Majorana and the Statistical Model of Atoms

We give an account of the appearance and first developments of the statistical model of atoms proposed by Thomas and Fermi, focusing on the main results achieved by Fermi and his group in Rome. Particular attention is addressed to the unknown contribution to this subject by Majorana, anticipating some important results reached later by leading physicists.     

The Chaotic Mixmaster and the Suppression of Chaos in Scalar–Tensor Cosmologies

We show that there is a threshold in energy for the onset of chaos in cosmology for the Universe described as a dynamical system derived from the Einstein equations of General Relativity (GR). In the case of the mixmaster model (homogeneous and anisotropic cosmology with a Bianchi IX metric), the chaos occurs precisely at the prescribed necessary value H _vac=0 of the GR for the energy of the Universe while the system is found to be regular for H<0 and chaotic for H>0 with respect to its pure vacuum part. In the case of generalized scalar tensor theories within the Bianchi IX model, we show using the ADM formalism and a conformal transformation that the energy of the dynamical system as compared to vacuum lies below the zero energy threshold. The system is thus not exhibiting chaos and the conclusion still holds in the presence of ordinary matter as well. The suppression of chaos occurs in a similar way for stiff matter alone.