The structure and dynamics of reacting plane mixing layers

The reacting two-dimensional plane mixing layer has been studied in two configurations: a rearward facing step and a two-stream mixing layer. Observations have been made of the steady state behavior, and the unsteady behavior when the flow was forced by a specific acoustic frequency. The steady behavior of the mean properties of the reacting flows is similar to that of non-reacting free shear flows except for the global effects of thermodynamic property changes. The structure of these flows is qualitatively similar to that of non-reacting flows. Vortices form by the two-dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and grow by subharmonic combination until the mixing layer interacts with the walls. Entrainment is dominated by the two-dimensional vortex motion. Three-dimensional instabilities give rise to secondary vortices which are coherent over several Kelvin-Helmholtz structures and dominate the fine scale mixing process. The mixing transition corresponds to a loss of coherence in the layer. Unsteady behavior occurs when there are resonant interactions with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability or the instability associated with the recirculation vortex in the rearward facing step flow. Modeling efforts are reported which show promise of simulating the essential features of plane mixing layers.A version of this paper was presented at the ASME Winter Annual Meeting of 1984 and printed in AMD-Vol. 66     

13C-Leucin-Atemtest zur Beurteilung der anabolen Verwertung von diätetischen Aminosäurengemischen bei Phenylketonurie

It is essential to establish whether and how environmental factors affect the reliability of [¹³C]methacetin breath test (¹³C-MBT). In 12 healthy volunteers (smokers), a standard ¹³C-MBT with 75 mg [¹³C]methacetin was performed twice in random order: on a control day without smoking and on another day with smoking two cigarettes antecedently. A considerable flattening of the curve of the momentary ¹³C recovery within the expiratory air was observed when the ¹³C-MBT was performed after smoking. The maximum of the momentary ¹³C recovery, D _max, decreased from 37.20±2.58 to 25.39±2.29% dose/h (p=0.00052). Moreover, the time to reach D _max was prolonged after cigarette smoking (26.5±3.1 vs. 16.5±1.9 min, p=0.0199). The curve of the cumulative ¹³C recovery on the cigarette smoking day appeared to be shifted downwards, and statistically significant differences relative to the control situation were found between the 24th and 75th minute following [¹³C]methacetin administration. Smoking cigarettes immediately prior to the ¹³C-MBT diminishes the ability of the liver to handle methacetin, and hence a possibility of such an interaction should be excluded in order to interpret the results of the test correctly.     

Localization and Screening Enhancement in Asymmetric Binary Ionic Mixtures

The equation of state of binary ionic mixtures of similar ions, such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon, has been extensively studied. The study of dense asymmetric mixtures, where Z₂ >> Z₁, has primarily focused on mixtures of hydrogen and iron at solar conditions. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we examine the behavior of highly asymmetric binary ionic mixtures, where the coupling of the high‐Z species may be orders of magnitude higher than the coupling of the low‐Z species. For the conditions we have studied, we find that strong correlations and signatures of solidification occur in the high‐Z species, while the low‐Z species exists as a freely flowing fluid within the high‐Z solid matrix. Solidification of the low‐Z species is correlated with the coupling between the two components. Using the Widom expansion method, we compute the plasma screening enhancement of the nuclear reaction rates for Z = 1 in a high‐Z matrix. We also provide some estimates of the coefficient of binary diffusion in the mixture. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Aggregation Behavior of pHLIP in Aqueous Solution at Low Concentrations: A Fluorescence Study

pH (low) insertion peptide (pHLIP) is a 36-residue peptide derived from the third transmembrane helix of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. The hydrophobicity of this peptide makes it prone to aggregation even at low concentrations, but this has not been studied in detail. In this work, we characterized monomeric and aggregated forms of pHLIP in aqueous solution (pH 8) at low concentrations (~μM) using fluorescence-based approaches, complemented by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. We show here that monomeric and aggregated pHLIP display differential red edge excitation shift (REES) and CD spectra. These spectroscopic features allowed us to show that pHLIP aggregates even at low concentrations. A detailed knowledge of the aggregation behavior of pHLIP under these conditions will be useful for monitoring and quantifying its interaction with membranes.     

Quantum-networks: master equation and local measurements

Based on the SU(n)-algebra the Markoff master equation in discrete product space is reformulated to explicitly deal with composite systems. The resulting local (single node) and nonlocal (multi-node) state parameters allow a systematic approach to non-classical features of the state, like variance and covariance tensors. For local optical driving forces, inter-node interactions, and local damping channels the solution of the master equation is unraveled into stochastic quantum trajectories. Sampling leads to a joint distribution function in terms of those state parameters. Its linear moments define the ensemble-density matrix. The average variance and covariance are in terms of non-linear moments, which should be distinguished from their entirely statistical counterpairs. Non-classicality of the network dynamics is shown to reflect itself in the luminescence-photonstatistics.     

Editorial

The principles of quantum-mechanical measurements are a key issue in the foundation of modern physics. A beautiful consequence of these is the concept of Quantum Nondemolition (QND) measurements. Such measurements permit, in principle, to measure particular observables of a quantum system with unlimited precision, leaving their temporal evolution undisturbed. The application of QND measurements may play an important role in future high-sensivity experiments.Experimental QND measurements require appropriate measurements schemes and apparats, whose development took place in the past few years, thanks to strong progress in ultra-low noise mechanical, electronic and optical detection techniques, coherent light sources, and nonlinear optical systems. At present, interest is focused on measurements of mechanical observables, such as displacement of macroscopic masses and of intensity or phases of electomagnetic field modes in the optical spectral range.This special issue contains original papers on theory and experiments of QND measurements. Recent experimental developments are presented, and proposals and analyses of novel QND schemes are made.The issue focuses on contributions presented at the Workshop on QND Measurements, held March 27–29, 1996, on the Island of Reichenau, Lake Constance (Germany). The workshop was made possible through a generous grant from the Directorats General XII for Sciences, Research and Development of the European Commission.We thank Dr. W. Petrich for his help in preparing this special issue.     

μSR studies of the vortex lattice in high‐Tc and other superconductors

We review some of the assumptions made in the use of muon spin rotation in superconductors: i.e. that the muons are implanted at random positions in the flux lattice, remain static after implantation and do not appreciably affect the properties of the surrounding superconductor; also that the flux lines are straight and static, and that the observed muon rotation frequency spectrum reflects the microscopic distribution of field values. We shall show how evidence for and against the truth of these assumptions in particular cases may be obtained from the μSR results themselves or by comparison with other measurements, and how this in turn may lead to deeper understanding of flux line structure and motion in superconductors. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Self-starting 6.5-fs pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser

We demonstrate self-starting 6.5-fs pulses from a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with 200-mW average output power at a pulse repetition rate of ~86 M Hz. This is to our knowledge the shortest pulse ever generated directly from a laser. For dispersion compensation we used a prism pair in combination with double-chirped mirrors, which balances the higher-order dispersion of the prism pair and therefore flattens the average total group-delay dispersion in the laser cavity. For self-starting mode locking we used a broadband semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror.     

Semiconductor saturable absorber mirror structures with low saturation fluence

We present two novel semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) designs which can exhibit more than ten times lower saturation fluence than classical SESAM devices. Design considerations and characterization data are presented. These devices are particularly suited for passively mode-locked lasers with ultra-high repetition rates.     

Interlayer pairing in high temperature superconductors: effect of nonmagnetic impurities

The influence of impurity scattering is studied theoretically in a two-layer model for the high-T _c superconductor Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7– with intra- and inter-layer pairing. Two types of impurities are considered: (I) impurities which conserve the reflection symmetry of the two layers and (II) impurities which break it. Impurities of type (I) have no influence on the critical temperature. Type (II) impurities have strong influence onT _c as well as onH _c2 if there is a pairing interaction between carriers of different layers. The treatment of type (II) impurities is generalized to a periodic layer model appropriate for La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄. Available experiments on impurities in Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7– and La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ are interpreted with our theory.