Deflection of laser-produced ions in laser-induced thermal-desorption/fourier-transform mass spectrometry for surface analysis

A method for deflecting ions, such as K⁺, produced outside a Fourier-transform mass spectrometer cell during laser-induced thermal desorption, is described. This technique has been shown to deflect laser-generated K and Ti ions from two Ti foil samples (biomedical implant model surfaces), yielding mass spectra of coadsorbed organic species. Further studies characterizing the laser desorption/deflection parameters have shown that ion deflection improves with higher deflection voltages and greater sample to Fourier-transform mass spectrometry cell separation. Higher laser power densities resulted in greater surface ion production; hence higher deflection voltages were necessary. A 6% increase in laser power necessitated a fourfold increase in deflection voltage for the Ti sample.     

An extension of implicit Monte Carlo diffusion: Multigroup and the difference formulation

Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) and Implicit Monte Carlo Diffusion (IMD) are approaches to the numerical solution of the equations of radiative transfer. IMD was previously derived and numerically tested on grey, or frequency-integrated problems [1]. In this research, we extend Implicit Monte Carlo Diffusion (IMD) to account for frequency dependence, and we implement the difference formulation [2] as a source manipulation variance reduction technique. We derive the relevant probability distributions and present the frequency dependent IMD algorithm, with and without the difference formulation. The IMD code with and without the difference formulation was tested using both grey and frequency dependent benchmark problems. The Su and Olson semi-analytic Marshak wave benchmark was used to demonstrate the validity of the code for grey problems [3]. The Su and Olson semi-analytic picket fence benchmark was used for the frequency dependent problems [4]. The frequency dependent IMD algorithm reproduces the results of both Su and Olson benchmark problems. Frequency group refinement studies indicate that the computational cost of refining the group structure is likely less than that of group refinement in deterministic solutions of the radiation diffusion methods. Our results show that applying the difference formulation to the IMD algorithm can result in an overall increase in the figure of merit for frequency dependent problems. However, the creation of negatively weighted particles from the difference formulation can cause significant numerical instabilities in regions of the problem with sharp spatial gradients in the solution. An adaptive implementation of the difference formulation may be necessary to focus its use in regions that are at or near thermal equilibrium.     

Laser-induced acoustic wave generation/propagation/interaction in water in various internal channels

Short pulsed laser-induced single acoustic wave generation, propagation, interaction within a water-filled internal channel are experimentally and numerically studied. A large-area, short-duration, single-plane acoustic wave was generated by the thermoelastic interaction of a homogenized nanosecond pulsed laser beam with a liquid–solid interface and propagated at the speed of sound in water. Laser flash Schlieren photography was used to visualize the transient interaction of the plane acoustic wave in various internal channel structures ((a) sudden expansion and contraction channels, (b) bifurcating channels, (c) gradual contraction wall channels and (d) a cylinder). Fairly good agreement between the experimental results and numerical simulation is observed.     

Radiolysis of Aqueous Solutions of Benzoate Ion: A Radiation Chemistry Experiment for Undergraduates

This investigation describes the chemical effects of ionizing radiation on dilute aqueous solutions of benzoate ion. We have composed an experimental procedure that allows undergraduate chemistry students to identify and to quantitatively determine the amount of the products that are produced. The student investigators determine the absorbed dose that a sample receives when exposed to a ⁶⁰Co source, irradiate dilute aqueous solutions of benzoate ion, and analyze the resulting mixture of hydroxybenzoate ions using high-performance liquid chromatography. The radiolysis of dilute solutions of benzoate ion results in the formation of a mixture of ortho-, meta-, and para-hydroxybenzoate ions that are readily separated on a C₁₈ -Bondapak column. By the use of appropriate calibration curves, the yield (G values) of each of the isomers may be determined and compared.This paper was presented at the 15th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, August 1998 by N. Zevos and at the 26th Northeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society by Evon Powell.     

6,7‐diaza‐1‐methoxy‐ 5‐methyl‐2, 8‐dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct‐6‐ene. An unstable bicyclic precursor of a dioxa carbonyl ylide and carbenes by ylide ring opening

Synthesis of a bicyclic 2,2‐dioxa oxadiazoline (6,7‐diaza‐1‐methoxy‐5‐methyl‐2,8‐dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct‐6‐ene) is reported. Its thermolysis at 27°C is about 200 times as fast as the thermolysis of a monocyclic oxadiazoline model system. Presumably, a cyclic dioxa carbonyl ylide is formed initially and the ylide then undergoes a bond scission to afford either a dioxacarbene or a dialkylcarbene or it cyclizes to an oxirane. A small fraction of a dialkylcarbene was trapped as the product of addition to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD). Computations of the barriers to the loss of N₂ from the oxadiazolines and to the formation of the carbenes from the carbonyl ylide resulting from thermolysis of the bicyclic oxadiazoline are compared to corresponding barriers for a similar monocyclic oxadiazoline. The rate acceleration is accounted for in terms of geometric factors. The complex products from the decomposition of the bicyclic oxadiazoline were not studied. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Terahertz polarization imaging

We present a new method to measure the polarization state of a terahertz pulse by using a modified electro-optic sampling setup. To illustrate the power of this method, we show two examples in which the knowledge of the polarization of the terahertz pulse is essential for interpreting the results: spectroscopy measurements on polystyrene foam and terahertz images of a plastic coin. Both measurements show a sample-induced rotation of the terahertz electric field vector, which is surprisingly large and is a strong function of frequency. A promising aspect of our setup is the possibility of simultaneously measuring both transversal electric field components.     

Prototype reflectivity analyses of hydrogen storage levels in single-walled carbon nanotubes

A prototype case study is presented that examines the level of hydrogen content in H-SWNTs using the Surface Plasmon Resonance technique. The damping effect and the angular shift in the resonance minimum of an SWNT-gold interface due to the presence of hydrogen is analyzed using a parametric model, which is based on the concept of an effective permittivity. The new approach provides for a non-invasive analysis of the level of hydrogen content in H-SWNTs and is potentially extendable to other carbon-based hydrogen storage materials.