Semiclassical theory for two-anyon system

The semiclassical quantization conditions for all partial waves are derived for bound states of two interacting anyons in the presence of a uniform background magnetic field. Singular Aharonov-Bohm type interactions between the anyons are dealt with by the modified WKB method of Friedrich and Trost. For s-wave bound state problems in which the choice of the boundary condition at short distance gives rise to an additional ambiguity, a suitable generalization of the latter method is required to develop a consistent WKB approach. We here show how the related self-adjoint extension parameter affects the semiclassical quantization condition for energy levels. For some simple cases admitting exact answers, we verify that our semiclassical formulas in fact provide highly accurate results over a broad quantum number range.     

Reduction of U<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> to U by a metallic reductant,Li

Reduction of U₃O₈ was investigated for the recycling of spent oxide fuel from a commercial nuclear power plant. The possible reduction methods were proposed and compared. Based on the thermodynamic analysis, Li metal was selected as a reductant. The optimum reaction temperature for the reduction of U₃O₈ was investigated at the wider reaction temperature range. The adverse oxidation of U metal by Li₂O at 1,000 °C was experimentally verified. Ellingham diagram was constructed to investigate the extent of the uranium oxides reduction when the reaction was carried out above melting point of U metal.     

Novel amphiphilic homopolymers containing meta‐ and para‐pyridine moieties with living characteristics and their self‐assembly

Amphiphilic monomers containing the isomeric pyridine moieties 3‐(4‐vinylphenyl)pyridine (3VPPy) and 4‐(4‐vinylphenyl)pyridine (4VPPy) were synthesized using the Suzuki coupling reaction. A living anionic polymerization of 3VPPy and 4VPPy was successfully performed under various conditions to overcome the limitations of anionic polymerization and to compare their properties with those of poly(2‐(4‐vinylphenyl)pyridine) as reported previously. Several characteristics of the resulting isomeric P3VPPy and P4VPPy were studied, such as thermal stability, solubility, and the living nature. The block copolymerization of 4VPPy with 2‐vinylpyridine and MMA was carried out without additive to estimate the nucleophilicity of P4VPPy and to confirm its living nature. Additionally, each amphiphilic homopolymer of P3VPPy and P4VPPy containing both a hydrophilic pyridine unit and a hydrophobic styrene unit was tested for self‐assembly behavior in a mixed solvent (THF/water) and monitored with TEM and SEM. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3458–3469     

Optical investigations of polycrystalline Mg1−xB2 near metal-insulator transition

We measured reflectivity spectra of polycrystalline Mg_1−xB₂ samples, which show a metal-insulator transition with x. After performing the Kramers-Kronig analysis, the obtained optical conductivity spectra σ(ω) of MgB₂ show a narrow Drude peak in the far-infrared region and a broad peak in the mid-infrared region. As x increases, the spectral weight of the Drude peak is strongly suppressed and that of the broad peak becomes enhanced a little. The existence of the broad mid-infrared peak in the insulating sample suggests that this peak might not be related to the free carriers in MgB₂. In the far-infrared region, we also observe that the low energy dielectric constant of Mg_1−xB₂ diverges near the metal-insulator phase boundary (i.e. x=0.08). This result implies the possibility of a phase separation and a percolative metal-insulator transition in Mg_1−xB₂.     

Mechanism of resistance distribution properties in oxide-based resistance switching nanodevice

Although oxide-based resistive switching memory (OxRAM) is one of the strong next-generation high-capacity memory candidates, it has an unresolved problem that the higher the resistance levels, the larger the cycle-to-cycle resistance variabilities to be operated in multi-resistance level mode. In this paper, we develop a simple theory from the operating principles of OxRAMs that excellently matches with experiments both qualitatively and quantitatively. From the theory, we can finally understand the fundamental capabilities of multi-resistance level operation of OxRAMs, and how to improve the switching properties within that.     

Electron kinetic effects on Raman backscatter in plasmas

We augment the usual three-wave cold-fluid equations governing Raman backscatter (RBS) with a new kinetic thermal correction, proportional to an average of particle kinetic energy weighted by the ponderomotive phase. From closed-form analysis within a homogeneous kinetic three-wave model and ponderomotively averaged kinetic simulations in a more realistic pulsed case, the magnitude of these new contributions is shown to be a measure of the dynamical detuning between the pump laser, seed laser, and Langmuir wave. Saturation of RBS is analyzed, and the role of trapped particles illuminated. Simple estimates show that a small fraction of trapped particles (approximately 6%) can significantly suppress backscatter. We discuss the best operating regime of the Raman plasma amplifier to reduce these deleterious kinetic effects.     

A simple model for a two-stage chemical reaction with diffusion

We analyse the evolution of a two-stage chemical reaction betweentwo neighbouring plumes of reactants. Under the assumption thatthe plumes are approximately Gaussian we derive a system ofordinary differential equations for the total amount, the centroidand the variance of each reactant. We compare the solution ofthese equations with full numerical simulation of the reaction.Excellent agreement is obtained, with solution of the near-Gaussianmodel requiring considerably less computational effort thanthe full simulations. Of key importance is the yield of thereaction, and we discuss this feature in particular.