Unsteady axisymmetric stagnation flow on a circular cylinder

Unsteady, axisymmetric stagnation flow about a circular cylinderis examined when the far-field flow is a periodic function oftime with a fixed time average and an oscillatory part of prescribedamplitude and frequency. Solutions are computed for arbitraryvalues of the Reynolds number, quantifying the effects of surfacecurvature, and a frequency parameter based on the period ofthe far-field flow. It is found that solutions remain regularand periodic provided that the far-field amplitude lies belowa critical value. Above this value, solutions terminate in afinite-time singularity. The blow-up time is delayed by increasingthe curvature of the surface. These results are corroboratedby asymptotic predictions valid in the limits of small and largeamplitude and frequency. For large Reynolds number, the problemreduces to the two-dimensional stagnation-point flow againsta plane wall studied by previous authors.     

Error bounds for strongly convex programs and (super)linearly convergent iterative schemes for the least 2-norm solution of linear programs

Given an arbitrary point (x, u) inR ⁿ × R ₊ ^m , we give bounds on the Euclidean distance betweenx and the unique solution to a strongly convex program in terms of the violations of the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions by the arbitrary point (x, u). These bounds are then used to derive linearly and superlinearly convergent iterative schemes for obtaining the unique least 2-norm solution of a linear program. These schemes can be used effectively in conjunction with the successive overrelaxation (SOR) methods for solving very large sparse linear programs.Sponsored by the United States Army under Contract No. DAAG29-80-C-0041. This material is based on research sponsored by National Science Foundation Grant No. DCR-8420963 and Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant No. AFOSR-ISSA-85-00080.On leave from CRAI, via Bernini 5, Rende, Cosenza, Italy.     

Parallel gradient projection successive overrelaxation for symmetric linear complementarity problems and linear programs

A gradient projection successive overrelaxation (GP-SOR) algorithm is proposed for the solution of symmetric linear complementary problems and linear programs. A key distinguishing feature of this algorithm is that when appropriately parallelized, the relaxation factor interval (0, 2) isnot reduced. In a previously proposed parallel SOR scheme, the substantially reduced relaxation interval mandated by the coupling terms of the problem often led to slow convergence. The proposed parallel algorithm solves a general linear program by finding its least 2-norm solution. Efficiency of the algorithm is in the 50 to 100 percent range as demonstrated by computational results on the CRYSTAL token-ring multicomputer and the Sequent Balance 21000 multiprocessor.This material is based on research supported by National Science Foundation Grants DCR-8420963 and DCR-8521228 and Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grants AFOSR-86-0172 and AFOSR-86-0255.     

Role of vitreous matrix on the optical activity of Ge-doped silica

We report an experimental study on the relationship between the optical activity of Ge-oxygen deficient centers and dynamic properties and conformational heterogeneity of vitreous matrix in silica. We focus our attention on the absorption band at ∼5.2 eV (B_2β) and on the two related emissions at ∼4.2 eV (α_E) and at ∼3.1 eV (β). From the temperature dependence of B_2β band we estimate a mean energy value of 26 meV for local vibrational modes coupled to the electronic transition, suggesting that the chromophore and its surrounding have access to low frequency dynamics. From the thermal behavior of the two emissions we distinguish the two competitive relaxation processes from the first singlet excited state S₁: the radiative one, giving rise the α_E band, and the thermally activated intersystem-crossing process between S₁ and the triplet state T₁, originating the β band. The intersystem-crossing rate increases on increasing the temperature, determining an opposite thermal behavior of the intensity of the two emissions. However, this temperature dependence cannot be rationalized by a simple Arrhenius law and the α_E decay kinetics at high temperatures do not follow a single exponential law, suggesting a complex landscape of configurational energies of the process.     

Two-color cross-correlation of fs-laser pulses by two-photon induced photoconductivity for near and far field optical measurements

Two-color two-photon induced photoconductivity in a GaAsP diffusion type photodiode is demonstrated by measuring femtosecond cross-correlation functions for widely separated wavelength pairs of 775 and 1300 nm. Results are obtained for a range of tunable wavelengths and average powers of the incident lasers by measuring the two-photon induced photocurrent as a function of the optical delay between the pulses. The temporal autocorrelation of femtosecond laser pulses in the near-field of a small diameter aluminum coated optical fiber tip is also obtained with the same photodiode method for single colors.     

Simultaneous multiphoton ionization by two radiation fields. Effects of the statistical properties of the radiation

Summary We report on calculations of differential and total ionization cross-sections of hydrogen atoms irradiated by two radiation fields with different properties. One of the fields is of low intensity and relatively high frequency, the other is of low frequency and high intensity. In particular, we show that the inclusion of the multimode structure of the low-frequency laser field modifies considerably the shape of the angular distribution of the photoelectrons and the rates of ionization into the different channels characterized by the number of low-frequency photons exchanged. Further, we find that the average energy exchanged between the photoelectrons and the low-frequency radiation field is independent of the statistical properties of the low-frequency laser field.     

An outdoor smog chamber and modeling study of toluene–NOx photooxidation

An experimental investigation of the gas-phase photooxidation of toluene–NO_x–air mixtures at part-per-million concentrations has been carried out in a 65-m³, outdoor smog chamber to assess our understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of toluene. In addition, six CO? NO_x–air irradiations were conducted to characterize the chamber with regard to any wall radical sources. Measured parameters in the toluene–NO_x experiments included O₃, NO, NO₂, HNO₃, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), CO, toluene, benzaldehyde, o-cresol, m-nitrotoluene, peroxybenzoyl nitrate (PBZN), temperature, relative humidity, aerosol size distributions, and particulate organic carbon. Predictions of the reaction mechanism of Leone and Seinfeld [7] are found to be in good agreement with the data under a variety of initial conditions. Additional simulations are used to investigate various mechanistic pathways in areas where our understanding of toluene chemistry is still incomplete.     

Comparison of the filamentation and the hollow-core fiber characteristics for pulse compression into the few-cycle regime

The gas-filled hollow-core fiber compression and the optical filamentation technique are compared experimentally in a parameter regime suitable for intense few-cycle pulse generation. In particular, pointing stability, spectral properties, and spatial chirp are investigated. It is found that in the case of filamentation, the critical parameter for pointing stability is gas pressure inside the generation cell whereas for the hollow-core fiber it is alignment that plays this role. The hollow-core fiber technique yields spectra that are better suited for chirped-mirror pulse compression whereas filamentation offers higher throughput and prospects for easy-to-implement self-compression. We present spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) measurements that directly show the transition in the spectral phase of the output continua into the self-compression regime as the gas pressure is increased. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.Jx; 42.65.Tg     

Femtosecond photoelectron imaging of transient electronic states and Rydberg atom emission from electronically excited he droplets

Ultrafast relaxation of electronically excited pure He droplets is investigated by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging. Droplets are excited by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses with photon energies below 24 eV. Excited states and relaxation products are probed by ionization with an infrared (IR) pulse with 1.6 eV photon energy. An initially excited droplet state decays on a time scale of 220 fs, leading predominantly to the emission of unaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms. In a second relaxation channel, electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are emitted from the droplet within less than 120 fs. The experimental results are described within a model that approximates electronically excited droplet states by localized, atomic Rydberg states perturbed by the local droplet environment in which the atom is embedded. The model suggests that, below 24 eV, EUV excitation preferentially leads to states that are localized in the surface region of the droplet. Electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are expected to originate from excitations in the outermost surface regions, while nonaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms emerge from a deeper surface region with higher local densities. The model is used to simulate the He droplet EUV absorption spectrum in good agreement with previously reported fluorescence excitation measurements.