A quasi double-grating grazing incidence pulsed dye laser

Continuous scanning of a 1 GHz pulsed laser line using only one 5-cm grating as an intracavity selective element is obtained from a pulsed dye laser pumped by a Nd: YAG (8 ns-532 nm) laser. Such a single-grating dye laser operates in the same way as a real double-grating grazing incidence laser and provides an appreciable improvement of the resolution (enhancement factor 2), compared with previous grazing incidence ones. The superiority of this laser cavity has been proved for single-longitudinal-mode operation.Laboratoire associé à l'Université de Paris-Sud     

Improvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Si photodiodes by embedding of silver nanoparticles

The photo-current of n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction photodiodes was improved by embedding Ag nanoparticles in the interface (ZnO/nano-P_Ag/p-Si), and the ratio between photo- and dark-current increased by about three orders more than that of a n-ZnO/p-Si specimen. The improvement in the photo-current resulted from the light scattering of embedded Ag nanoparticles. The I–V curve of n-ZnO/p-Si degraded after thermal treatment (A-ZnO/p-Si) because the silicon robbed the oxygen from ZnO to form amorphous silicon dioxide and left an oxygen vacancy. Notably, the properties of ZnO/nano-P_Ag/p-Si were better in the time-dependent photoresponse under 10 V bias. Ag nanoparticles (15–20 nm) scattered the UV light randomly and increased the probability for the absorption of ZnO to enhance the properties of the photodiode.     

Analytical study of an active piezoelectric absorber on vibration attenuation of a plate

The attenuation of the transverse vibration of a plate, subjected to a harmonic force, is studied. This goal can be achieved by using an active dynamic absorber. The active absorber is made of a pair of piezoelectric sheets, attached to both sides of the plate, and closed electric circuits. One piece of the piezoelectric material provides a sensor for detecting the motion of the plate. Another piece serves as an active dynamic absorber. The equations of motion of the composite plate, including the plate and the piezoelectric material, and the circuit equations of the sensor and the absorber are derived. The displacements of the plate and the currents in the circuits are calculated. The active absorber can successfully attenuate the vibration. The numerical results show that the proposed active absorber can offer more reduction than that using a passive absorber while the absorber is designed to suppress the resonance of a particular vibration mode. Moreover, the active absorber can also reduce the displacements corresponding to other uncontrolled modes. The effects of altering various parameters of the active absorber are studied and discussed.     

Tunable diffraction of magnetic fluid films and its potential application in coarse wavelength-division multiplexing

When an external magnetic field is applied parallel to the film surface of a magnetic fluid film, a high-quality one-dimensional periodic chain structure is formed when the field strength reaches a certain level. With a periodic chain structure in the magnetic fluid film, an incident light is diffracted onto the magnetic thin film. The results show that the one-dimensional periodic chain structure in the magnetic fluid film can serve as an optical grating. Further investigations reveal the feasibility of developing tunable coarse wavelength-division multiplexing by utilizing a periodic chain structure.     

基于液晶体的大错位量散斑相移技术研究

系统地分析了大错位量散斑干涉术测量离面位移的原理,并结合晶体光学理论详细分析液晶体的相移过程．同时从理论上剖析了沃拉斯顿棱镜的错位机理,从而构造出一种新的基于液晶体实现大错位量散斑相移技术的测试系统。采用该检测系统对结构实体混凝土在不同养护时间情况下的力学行为进行测试研究。实验结果揭示：随着养护时间的增加,混凝土结构的力学性能指标也相应增加,但在养护21天后,混凝土结构材料的弹性模量和结构强度都达到某一稳定值(即标准试样在同等养护条件下的实验室测量值)。并且也发现该技术使用方便,检测时受环境的影响小,可以实现现场在线原位实时无损检测,并能够得到非常真实的检测结果,从而可以实现更精确的定量计算。     

Determination of microelement distribution in different components of soil-plant systems

The leaves, stem, and roots of two types of shrubs (tea (Camellia sinensis) and sweet leaf (Sauropus androgynus)) and two types of herbs (vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L. Nash) and maize (Zea mays L)) and the Thucuc soil where the plants were growing were collected to be studied. The contents of 22 elements in the samples were determined by three methods: X-Ray fluorescence analysis (XRFA), gamma activation analysis (GAA), and the tracking method to study the distribution of these elements in plants and the soil-plant relationship. This study was carried out at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (FLNR), Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, Russia. The distribution of the elements in the soil-plant system was studied.     

Fuel spray visualization and its impingement analysis on in-cylinder surfaces in a direct-injection spark-ignition engine

Abstract  

Experiments are performed to investigate the effects of fuel spray on in-cylinder mixture preparation and its impingement on cylinder walls and piston top inside a direct-injection spark-ignition engine with optical access to the cylinder. Novel image processing algorithms are developed to analyze the fuel impingement quantitatively on in-cylinder surfaces. The technique is useful to optimize the fuel pressure, injection timing and the number of injections to minimize the fuel impingement on in-cylinder surfaces. E85, which represents a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (by volume) is used in this study. Two types of fuel injectors are used; (i) low-pressure production-intent injector with fuel pressure of 3 MPa, and (ii) high-pressure production injector with fuel pressures of 5 and 10 MPa. In addition, the effects of split injection are also presented by maintaining the same amount of fuel used in single injection. It is found that the split injection is an effective way to reduce the overall fuel impingement on in-cylinder surfaces while maintaining a reasonably good air–fuel mixture in the cylinder.     

Desorption of surfactant and sintering of surface-modified PdxNi1 − x nanoparticles

A series of Pd_xNi_1 − x nanoparticles in a diameter of 6-7 nm were prepared by wet chemical reduction. They were then modified with two surfactants, stearic acid (SA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Desorption of the surfactant was studied using a temperature programmed desorption technique, and the sintering behavior of surface-modified Pd_xNi_1 − x nanoparticles was examined. Since surface energy of the nanoparticles depends on the alloy composition, it can be correlated with the desorption temperature of surfactant from the nanoparticle surface. Because Ni has a higher surface energy, the surfactant desorption temperature increases as the Ni content increases. With the same stoichiometry, the desorption temperature of SA is always higher than that of PEG. The SA-modified nanoparticles have higher thermal stability and are less sintered than PEG-modified nanoparticles. The sintering and growth behavior of the nanoparticles can be correlated with variation of surface energy due to different surface modification.     

Structural and compositional heterogeneities in liquid aluminosilicate: insight from a grain structure model

Network structure as well as structural and compositional heterogeneities in aluminosilicate (Al₂O₃-2SiO₂) under compression is investigated by analysis and visualization of simulation data. Structural and compositional heterogeneities are clarified through analysis of topology structure and size distribution of TO _x -clusters (T = Si, Al; x = 3, 4, 5, 6) as well as OT _y -clusters (y = 2, 3, 4). The TO _x -cluster can be considered as TO _x -grains. It appears that the structure of aluminosilicate is the mixture of TO _x -grains with a different short-range order structure and this is the origin of structural heterogeneity. Regarding their composition, the OSi _y - and OAl _y -clusters can be considered as silica- and alumina-grains respectively, and the structure of aluminosilicate can thus be considered to be formed from silica- and alumina-grains. This results in compositional heterogeneity. Moreover, the degree of polymerization and polyamorphism as well as dynamic heterogeneity is also discussed in detail.