Depopulation of the Jπ = 9- isomer in 180Ta to the Jπ = 1+ ground state by Coulomb excitation

In-beam Coulomb excitation of the exotic odd-odd nucleus ¹⁸⁰Ta has been studied by using a ¹³⁶Xe beam and a setup consisting of five EUROBALL CLUSTER detectors and the Darmstadt-Heidelberg Crystal Ball array. Spectroscopic information on the extremely rare ¹⁸⁰Ta is obtained from the comparison between an enriched (3.6±0.3% ¹⁸⁰Ta) and a natural tantalum target. Possible evidence for a depopulation from the long-lived high-spin J ^π = 9^- isomer to the short-lived J ^π = 1⁺ ground state is searched for by different methods. The decay of low-K bandheads, which are nanosecond isomers, towards the ground-state band can be demonstrated in delayed spectroscopy. A γγ coincidence analysis provides indications of K = 5 in-band transitions. Finally, when the Crystal Ball is used as an energy and γ multiplicity filter, signals of decay into the K = 0 band are observed. Received: 23 January 2001 / Accepted: 8 February 2001     

Extended flamelet model and improved interaction of chemistry and turbulence for modeling partially premixed combustion with a joint PDF method

Turbulent combustion is commonly categorized into premixed, non-premixed and partially premixed combustion. For nonpremixed combustion simulations the laminar flamelet concept proved to be very valuable while for the more complex case of partially premixed combustion this model shows considerable deficiencies. Here, the classical laminar flamelet approach is extended to the partially premixed combustion regime. For that, the joint statistics of mixture fraction, scalar dissipation rate and a progress variable, calculated with a joint probability density function (PDF) method, is used to get the statistics of the compositions and of the chemical energy source term from pre-processed flame tables. This approach can be compared with the unsteady flamelet concept; the main differences consists of the way the progress variable evolution is computed and in the pre-computed flame tables. The progress variable describes the point of time a fluid parcel is consumed by a flame front. The fluid parcels are represented by computational particles, which are used for PDF methods. The pre-computed flame tables are computed from steady solutions 2D stabilized flames propagating into an unburnt mixture with varying mixture fraction. The corresponding position of a fluid particle in such a 2D laminar flame is determined by its mixture fraction and a burning time; both to be modeled for each computational particle in the PDF simulation. Numerical experiments of turbulent diffusion jet flames demonstrate that this approach can be employed for challenging test cases. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Band alignment, built-in potential, and the absence of conductivity at the LaCrO3/SrTiO3(001) heterojunction

Core-level and valence-band x-ray photoemission spectra measured for molecular-beam-epitaxy-grown LaCrO(3)/SrTiO(3)(001) yield band offsets and potential gradients within the LaCrO(3) sufficient to trigger an electronic reconstruction to alleviate the polarity mismatch. Yet, the interface is insulating. Based on first principles calculations, we attribute this unexpected result to interfacial cation mixing combined with charge redistribution within CrO(2) layers, enabled by low-lying d states within LaCrO(3), which suppresses an electronic reconstruction.     

TiCl4-catalyzed indirect anti-Markovnikov hydration of alkynes: application to the synthesis of benzo[b]furans

An efficient methodology for the indirect anti-Markovnikov hydration of unsymmetrically substituted terminal and internal alkynes is based on TiCl4-catalyzed hydroamination reactions. Its application to ortho-alkynylhaloarenes, followed by a copper-catalyzed O-arylation, provides flexible access to substituted benzo[b]furans.     

Modelling of closed-chain manipulators on an excavator vehicle

The main focus of this paper is to develop a physics-based model for a closed-chain manipulator in an excavator vehicle. The derivation of closed-chain manipulator dynamic equations with a structure similar to open-chain manipulator equations is an important research problem, particularly with reference to controller design. In this paper, an approach for deriving closed-chain manipulator equations with an open-chain structure, based on trigonometric t-formulae, is presented. Holonomic loop closure constraints are employed in order to derive the closed-chain mechanism dynamics from the reduced system dynamics. The closed-chain equations, with a structure similar to serial link equations, are presented. The model incorporates the dynamic properties of the manipulator and bucket. The dynamic model for the excavation system is validated against measured data obtained from a full-scale closed-chain excavator vehicle. A dynamic model is important for the design of control strategies for trajectory tracking, a key requirement for automating the excavation task. It is noted that even though the results presented in this paper are focused on a particular excavator vehicle, the research is generic and can be adapted to any closed-chain manipulator.     

In-situ imaging of the nucleation and growth of epitaxial anatase TiO2(001) films on SrTiO3(001)

The growth of TiO₂ anatase films on Nb‐doped SrTiO₃(001) molecular beam epitaxy has been studied in-situ by scanning tunneling microscopy. We show that the initial growth follows the Stranski–Krastanov mode, where islands form on top of a wetting layer consisting of two monolayers (ML) of TiO₂. The epitaxial islands subsequently nucleate and coalesce into large commonly oriented crystallites. The reconstruction observed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is shown to result from the coexistence of individual (4 × 1) and (1 × 4) reconstructions present on different crystallite surfaces. The anatase grows in units of bilayers, resulting in a step height of 2 ML (~ 0.5 nm). This result explains the fact that the measured period of the RHEED specular-beam intensity oscillations corresponds to the time required for deposition of 2 ML. Ar ion sputtering and UHV annealing results in a transformation to coexisting (4 × 1) and (1 × 4) reconstructed terraces on individual crystallites, as commonly observed by ex-situ STM studies.     

Grating coupled interferometry for optical sensing

An interferometric sensor based on gratings on a planar waveguide is introduced. The device combines the advantages of known interference-based waveguide sensors with the simplicity of grating couplers. In the presented configuration, two parallel and coherent light beams, laterally separated in the direction of mode propagation, are coupled into a planar waveguide through a grating. One of the coupled beams is phase modulated using a periodically relaxing liquid crystal modulator, resulting in a time varying intensity signal at the end face of the waveguide. Refractive index changes within the waveguide section between the two coupling regions are monitored by observing characteristic changes in the intensity signal.