Global view on a nonlinear oscillator subject to time-delayed feedback control

We apply time-delayed feedback control to stabilise unstable periodic orbits of an amplitude-phase oscillator. The control acts on both, the amplitude and the frequency of the oscillator, and we show how the phase of the control signal influences the dynamics of the oscillator. A comprehensive bifurcation analysis in terms of the control phase and the control strength reveals large stability regions of the target periodic orbit, as well as an increasing number of unstable periodic orbits caused by the time delay of the feedback loop. Our results provide insight into the global features of time-delayed control schemes.     

Progress in spintronics

The discovery of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) by Peter Grünberg and Albert Fert in 1988, which was awarded with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2007, initiated an upsurge of experimental and theoretical investigations on spin dependent transport phenomena. Since then, spin valves have been introduced, switching via spin torque was proposed and confirmed, the tunneling magneto-resistance effect has matured to marketability, and magnetic domain walls and their propagation are being developed for memory storage devices with enhanced density. This field, which embraces spin-structures and spin-transport on the nanoscale, was coined spin electronics or short spintronics. A brief overview on the development of spintronics from the early discovery of the GMR effect to the present activities is provided.     

Photophysical properties of PPP and PPV derivatives bearing polystyrene or polycaprolactone as side groups

This contribution reports on detailed photophysical investigations of poly(p-phenylene) PPP and poly(p-phenylene-vinylene) (PPV) derivatives laterally decorated with polystyrene (PPV-PSt) or poly(ε-caprolactone) (PPP-PCL, PPP-altPCL, PPV-PCL and PPV-PCL-Br). The polymers emit blue and exhibit very high relative and absolute photoluminescence quantum yield, Φ_f, in dilute solution, thin film (spin-coated and inkjet-printed) and bulk state. This is ascribed to the presence of the lateral macromolecules, which suppress the strong π-π interactions and consequently excimers formation. Lower Φ_f value was obtained for the bromine containing polymer and its corresponding model compound dibromodistyrylbenzene Br₂-DSB, which was ascribed to heavy atom effect enabling intersystem crossing from S₁ to T₁. However, studies at 77 K did not reveal phosphorescence, in contrast an enhancement of the fluorescence intensity with respect to room temperature measurement was observed.     

Synthesis of the H-phosphonate dibenzo[d,f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepine 6-oxide and the phospha-Michael addition to unsaturated compounds

A series of phosphonate-containing compounds based on dibenzo[d,f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepine 6-oxide (BPPO) is presented. BPPO is synthesized by a three–component condensation and is added to activated alkenes with systematically varied structure via phospha-Michael addition. Acrylates, α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid diesters and benzoquinone are used as activated alkenes. The new compounds are characterized by ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. The as-prepared phosphonates are envisioned to have flame retardant properties.     

Binary pusher–puller mixtures of active microswimmers and their collective behaviour

ABSTRACT

Microswimmers are active particles of microscopic size that self-propel by setting the surrounding fluid into motion. According to the kind of far-field fluid flow that they induce, they are classified into pushers and pullers. Many studies have explored similarities and differences between suspensions of either pushers or pullers, but the behaviour of mixtures of the two is still to be investigated. Here, we rely on a minimal discrete microswimmer model, particle-resolved, including hydrodynamic interactions, to examine the orientational ordering in such binary pusher–puller mixtures. In agreement with existing literature, we find that our monodisperse suspensions of pushers do not show alignment, whereas those of solely pullers spontaneously develop ordered collective motion. By continuously varying the composition of the binary mixtures, starting from pure puller systems, we find that ordered collective motion is largely maintained up to pusher–puller composition ratios of about 1:2. Surprisingly, pushers when surrounded by a majority of pullers are more tightly aligned than indicated by the average overall orientational order in the system. Our study outlines how orientational order can be tuned in active microswimmer suspensions to a requested degree by doping with other species.     

The effect of longitudinal high-frequency in-plane vibrations on a 1-DoF friction oscillator with compliant contact

Nonlinear Dynamics - The effect of vibrational smoothing of dry friction has been studied intensively in the past. High-frequency vibrations have been shown to reduce average friction forces and...     

Center-of-mass tomographic approach to quantum dynamics

In the tomography representation we propose a new approach, which describes the dynamics of quantum particles by the Kolmogorov equations for non-negative propagators. To solve the Kolmogorov equations we use a diffusive Markovian random processes described by the related nonlinear stochastic Langevin equations. As a result the dynamics of quantum particles is described by the proposed numerical scheme combining both Langevin dynamics and Monte Carlo methods. We test the developed approach by applying it to the wave packet dynamics in harmonic potentials and to particle tunneling through a barrier.     

Photogenerated avenues in macromolecules containing Re(I), Ru(II), Os(II), and Ir(III) metal complexes of pyridine-based ligands

Pyridine-based ligands, such as 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline, have gained much interest in the fields of supramolecular chemistry as well as materials science. The appealing optoelectronic properties of their complexes with heavy d(6) transition metal ions, such as Ru(ii), Os(II), Re(I) and Ir(III), primarily based on the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) nature featuring access to charge-separated states, have provided the starting point for many studies in the field of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), artificial photosynthesis and photogenerated electron as well as energy transfer processes. This critical review provides a comprehensive survey over central advances in the field of soluble metal-containing macromolecules in the last few decades. The synthesis and properties of functionalized 2,2'-bipyridyine- and 1,10-phenanthroline-based d(6) metal complexes, in particular, their introduction into different prevailing polymeric structures are highlighted. In the most part of the review metal complexes which have been attached as pendant groups on the polymer side chain are covered. Selected applications of the herein discussed metal-containing macromolecules are addressed, particularly, with respect to photogenerated electron/energy transfer processes. In order to enable a deeper understanding of the properties of the ligands and metal complexes, the fundamentals of selected photophysical processes will be discussed (223 references).     

Unbounded quantum graphs with unbounded boundary conditions

We consider metric graphs with a uniform lower bound on the edge lengths but no further restrictions. We discuss how to describe every local self‐adjoint Laplace operator on such graphs by boundary conditions in the vertices given by projections and self‐adjoint operators. We then characterize the lower bounded self‐adjoint Laplacians and determine their associated quadratic form in terms of the operator families encoding the boundary conditions.     

Magneto-Sensitive Elastomers: An Experimental Point of View

Magneto-sensitive elastomers (MSEs) are smart materials changing their shape and mechanical properties in the presence of a magnetic field. Focussing on model systems, silicone based MSEs are prepared by a multi-step mixing process and characterised using a rotational rheometer (plate-plate). Data obtained by relaxation tests is used to set-up a material model coupling the theories of viscoelasticity and magnetoelasticity. The behaviour of MSEs in quasi-static and dynamic mechanical shear experiments can be successfully predicted by the analytical model using parameters received by fitting the transient experiments. The model is validated for small shear deformations (γ = 0.02) and low magnetic fields (𝔹 = 0.2 T). (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)