The effect of Mn substitution on thermoelectric properties of Ca3MnxCo4−xO9 at low temperatures

The effects of partial substitution of Mn for Co on the thermoelectric properties of Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ (x=0, 0.03, 0.9), prepared by sol-gel process, were investigated at the temperatures from 380 K down to 5 K. The results indicate that the substitution of Mn for Co results in increase in thermopower at temperatures >∼80 K, and substantial (23-31% at 300 K) decrease in lattice thermal conductivity in the whole temperature range investigated. The temperature behavior of ZT suggests that Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ with light Mn substitution would be a promising candidate for high-temperature thermoelectric applications.     

Repetition rate multipliers for efficient implementation of multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy

With the advances in pulsed laser systems, microscopic imaging techniques such as multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy have developed into effective tools for investigating intensity and time-resolved phenomena inside biological systems. However, pulsed lasers used in these techniques usually are commercial systems with repetition frequencies of around 80 MHz. While these systems have proven to be adequate for multiphoton and pump-probe microscopic imaging applications, the temporal separation of the laser pulse train (around 12.5 ns) is long compared to the fluorescence lifetimes of many common fluorescence species. In this work, we present the designs of repetition rate multipliers based on passive optical components that can be used to increase the efficiency in multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy. Depending on the lifetime of fluorescence molecules under investigation, the passive repetition rate multiplier can increase the duty cycle of multiphoton or pump-probe microscopy up to fourfold.     

Homologies d'algèbres Artin–Schelter régulières cubiques

Hochschild homology of cubic Artin–Schelter regular algebras of type A with generic coefficients is computed. We follow the method used by Van den Bergh (K-Theory 8 (1994) 213–230) in the quadratic case, by considering these algebras as deformations of a polynomial algebra, with remarkable Poisson brackets. A new quasi-isomorphism is introduced. De Rham cohomology, cyclic and periodic cyclic homologies, and Hochschild cohomology are also computed. To cite this article: N. Marconnet, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 338 (2004).     

Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Furan, Thiophene, and Pyridine Aldimines

The addition of hydrosilanes (HSiEt₃, HSiMe₂Ph, H₂SiPh₂) to the CH=N bond of heterocyclic azomethines has been studied in the presence of monovalent complexes of rhodium and palladium. The effect on the reaction of the CF₃ group of the aldimines, which were obtained from O-, S-, and N-heteroaromatic aldehydes and 2-trifluoromethylaniline, has been clarified, as were other regularities of the processes being studied. A series of corresponding furans, thiophenes, and pyridine amines has been synthesized.     

Trace cocharacters and the Kronecker products of Schur functions

It follows from the theory of trace identities developed by Procesi and Razmyslov that the trace cocharacters arising from the trace identities of the algebra M_r(F) of r×r matrices over a field F of characteristic zero are given by TC_r,n=∑_λΛr(n)χ^λχ^λ where χ^λχ^λ denotes the Kronecker product of the irreducible characters of the symmetric group associated with the partition λ with itself and Λ_r(n) denotes the set of partitions of n with r or fewer parts, i.e. the set of partitions λ=(λ₁λ_k) with kr. We study the behavior of the sequence of trace cocharacters TC_r,n. In particular, we study the behavior of the coefficient of χ^(ν,n−m) in TC_r,n as a function of n where ν=(ν₁ν_k) is some fixed partition of m and n−mν_k. Our main result shows that such coefficients always grow as a polynomial in n of degree r−1.     

Spreading Code Design Using a Global Optimization Method

The performance of a code division multiple access system depends on the correlation properties of the employed spreading code. Low cross-correlation values between spreading sequences are desired to suppress multiple access interference and to improve bit error performance. An auto-correlation function with a distinct peak enables proper synchronization and suppresses intersymbol interference. However, these requirements contradict each other and a trade-off needs to be established. In this paper, a global two dimensional optimization method is proposed to minimize the out-of-phase average mean-square aperiodic auto-correlation with average mean-square aperiodic cross-correlation being allowed to lie within a fixed region. This approach is applied to design sets of complex spreading sequences. A design example is presented to illustrate the relation between various correlation characteristics. The correlations of the obtained sets are compared with correlations of other known sequences.     

Measurement of the dynamic elastic constants of short isotropic cylinders

A method based on a single test is proposed to characterize the elasticity of an isotropic homogeneous material in the shape of a cylinder of any slenderness (length-diameter) ratio. Firstly, the Rayleigh-Ritz method is used to determine the natural frequencies of the cylinders vibrating axisymmetrically. The study is focused on cylindrical samples with diameter and length of similar magnitude so that the shear modulus and the Poisson ratio can be calculated simultaneously. Subsequently, the theoretical results for cylinders of slenderness ratio between 0.1 and 3 are analyzed in order to obtain the data required to determine the elastic constants from one of the two lowest measured natural frequencies and their quotient. The analysis of the results demonstrates that any slenderness ratio is useful in the calculation of the elastic constants, although in some cases the third natural frequency should be used. Furthermore, the influence of the length-diameter quotient on the sensitivity of the method is analyzed by evaluating the systematic uncertainties for both dynamic elastic constants. Finally, the method is experimentally tested by characterizing two steel cylinders with slenderness ratios 0.1 and 1, respectively. The results demonstrate that uncertainties for both Poisson ratio and the shear modulus are smaller when the slenderness ratio is 1.     

Charge transfer excitons: dynamic theory of vibronic spectra

The vibronic spectra of charge transfer excitons (CTE) in a molecular one-component or alternatingly ordered two-component chain are treated in the framework of a dynamic approach (neglecting thermal excitations of the intramolecular vibrations). The model introduces two mechanisms of coupling between CTEs and vibrational quanta: (1) shift of the equilibrium positions of the nuclei in the ionized donor or acceptor; (2) change of the vibrational frequency in the ionized molecule. This model allows to generalize the simple CTE Hamiltonian and the vibronic Hamiltonian of Frenkel excitons. The linear optical susceptibility is calculated in the vibronic region (one CTE and one vibrational quantum). The double splitting of vibronics of CTEs was analyzed: (1) the splitting connected with the location of the intramolecular vibration on the donors or on the acceptors; (2) the splitting connected with the symmetry of the vibronic spectra (in the degenerate case). The general structure of the vibronic spectra of CTEs is established. It contains structureless absorption lines, which correspond to two-particle bands (the phonon is excited on a neutral molecule neighboring the donor or the acceptor) and Lorentz-type lines of one-particle states, which correspond to the bound propagation of the CTE and the phonon.     

Ar-Broadening of isotropic Raman lines in the ν2 band of acetylene

Using a high resolution Raman spectrometer, we have measured Ar-broadening coefficients in the ν₂Q branch of C₂H₂ for 22 lines at 295 K, 20 lines at 174 K, and 16 lines at 134 K. These lines with J values ranging from 1 to 23 are located in the spectral range 1970.9-1974.3 cm⁻¹. The collisional widths are obtained by fitting each spectral line with a Rautian profile. The resulting broadening coefficients are compared with theoretical values arising from close coupling and coupled states calculations. A satisfactory agreement is obtained at room as well as at low temperatures, especially for odd J lines. By comparing broadening coefficients at 295, 174, and 134 K from a simple power law, the temperature dependence of these broadenings has been determined both experimentally, and theoretically.