Piecewise Deterministic Markov Control Processes with Feedback Controls and Unbounded Costs

The control of piecewise-deterministic processes is studied where only local boundedness of the data is assumed. Moreover the discount rate may be zero. The value function is shown to be solution to the Bellman equation in a weak sense; however the solution concept is strong enough to generate optimal policies. Continuity and compactness conditions are given for the existence of nonrelaxed optimal feedback controls.     

Correlated polarization propagator calculations of static polarizabilities

We present a systematic comparison of the correlation contribution at the level of the second-order polarization propagator approximation (SOPPA ) and MP 2 to the static dipole polarizability of (1) Be, BeH^?, BH, CH⁺, MgH^?, AIH, SiH⁺, and GeH⁺; (2) BH₃, CH₄, NH₃, H₂O, HF, BF, and F₂; and (3) N₂, CO, CN^?, HCN, C₂H₂, and HCHO . Fairly extended basis sets were used in the calculations. We find that the agreement with experimental values is improved in SOPPA and MP .2 over the results at the SCF level. The signs and magnitudes of the correlation contribution in SOPPA are similar to those obtained in analytical derivative MP 2 calculations. However, it is not possible to say, in general, which method gives the largest correlation contribution or the best agreement with experiment, nor is it possible to make a priori prediction of the sign of the correlation contribution. For the first group of molecules, which have a quasi-degenerate ground state, additional CCDPPA and CCSDPPA calculations were performed and compared with polarizabilities obtained as analytical/numerical derivatives of the CCD and CCSD energies. The CCSDPPA results were found to be in better agreement with other calculations than were the SOPPA results, demonstrating the necessity of using methods based on infinite-order perturbation theory for these systems. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of the bromate–bromide reaction at high bromide concentrations

At bromide concentrations higher than 0.1 M, a second term must be added to the classical rate law of the bromate–bromide reaction that becomes ?d[BrO₃^?]/dt = [BrO₃^?][H⁺]²(k₁[Br^?] + k₂[Br^?]²). In perchloric solutions at 25°C, k₁ = 2.18 dm³ mol^?3 s^?1 and k₂ = 0.65 dm⁴ mol^?4 s^?1 at 1 M ionic strength and k₁ = 2.60 dm³ mol³ s^?1and k₂ = 1.05 dm⁴ mol^?4 s^?1 at 2 M ionic strength. A mechanism explaining this rate law, with Br₂O₂ as key intermediate species, is proposed. Errors that may occur when using the Guggenheim method are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 17–21, 2007     

A supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded complex between 1,3,5‐tris(diisobutylhydroxysilyl)benzene and trans‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethylene

The trisilanol 1,3,5‐(HOi‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 7 ), prepared in three steps from 1,3,5‐tribromobenzene via the intermediates 1,3,5‐(Hi‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 8 ) and 1,3,5‐(Cli‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 9 ) forms an equimolar complex with trans‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethylene (bpe), 7 ·bpe, whose structure was investigated by X‐ray crystallography. The hydrogen‐bonded network features a number of SiO? H(H)Si and SiO? H hydrogen bridges. Evidence was found for cooperative strengthening within the sequential hydrogen bonds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced four-wave mixing in mercury isotopes, prepared by stark-chirped rapid adiabatic passage

We demonstrate significant enhancement of four-wave mixing in coherently driven mercury isotopes to generate vacuum-ultraviolet radiation at 125 nm. The enhancement is accomplished by preparation of the mercury atoms in a state of maximum coherence, i.e. maximum nonlinear-optical polarization, driven by Stark-chirped rapid adiabatic passage (SCRAP). In this technique, a pump laser at 313 nm excites the two-photon transition between the ground state 6s²¹S₀ and the target state 7s ¹S₀ in mercury. A strong, off-resonant radiation field at 1064 nm generates dynamic Stark shifts. These Stark shifts serve to induce a rapid adiabatic passage process on the two-photon transition. During the process a coherent superposition of the two states is established, which enhances the nonlinear-optical polarization in the medium to the maximum possible value. The maximum coherence permits efficient four-wave mixing of a pump laser and an additional probe laser at 626 nm. The efficiency is further enhanced, as the SCRAP process allows to stimulate the complete set of different mercury isotopes to participate in the frequency conversion process. This enlarges the effective atomic density of the medium. Thus, we observe the generation of vacuum-ultraviolet radiation at 125 nm enhanced by more than one order of magnitude with respect to conventional frequency conversion. Parallel to the frequency conversion process, we monitored the evolution of the population in the medium by laser-induced fluorescence. These data demonstrate efficient coherent population transfer by SCRAP.     

Methane activation on Ni(1 1 1): Effects of poisons and step defects

We have, theoretically and experimentally, investigated the dissociation of methane on the terraces and steps of a Ni(1 1 1) surface. Using Density Functional Theory (DFT) total energy calculations combined with Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) experiments, we find that the steps exhibit a higher activity than the terraces. We have, furthermore, investigated how carbon and sulfur present on the surface will deactivate the steps, leaving only the terraces active. We find the intrinsic sticking probabilities of methane on the steps and terraces at 500 K to be 2.8 × 10⁻⁷ for the steps and 2.1 × 10⁻⁹ for the terraces, in complete agreement with our calculated difference in activation energy of 17 kJ/mol.