Observation of ionic thermocurrents in zirconia-based solid electrolytes

In ionic conductors, long range-migrating charges are a main cause of polarization processes. This has complicated, up to date, the study of ionic thermocurrents (ITC) in solid electrolytes. However, the method is appealing, as it probes directly charge-formation phenomena that are important both from a scientific point of view and for applications. This work reports on the observation of ITC in solid electrolytes. Under appropriate experimental conditions, the ITC response of a zirconia sample electroded with platinum is a reproducible one, thus opening the way to a new characterization method that may complement other well established methods, such as Impedance Spectroscopy and a number of electrochemical techniques. The general trends of the response, which is composed of two well resolved ITC peaks, is discussed. One of them, taking place at higher temperatures, conforms to the standard shape of a first order kinetics depolarization process. Paper presented at the 2nd Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, Sept. 10–16, 1995     

Monte Carlo determinations of the beta dose rate to tooth enamel

The results of Monte Carlo simulations of the beta dose rate to enamel are presented. The dose rates are the most comprehensive to date, incorporating the beta spectrum from 21 different radionuclides, all internal conversion and Auger electrons, the majority of the bremsstrahlung radiation, effects due to radon loss in the uranium series, and variations in the moisture content of the sediment. Applications to a new dating technique in archaeology using electron spin resonance and beta-gradient isochrons are discussed.     

MO analysis of macroscopic supercurrent flow in MgB 2

We present results from an extended magneto-optical (MO) analysis of two samples cut from high-density pellets of MgB₂. The first sample was studied in order to show that no matter how large the sample is and despite the bulk granularity, the material enters into a critical state in a crystal-like fashion. The second sample was chosen for the quantitative analysis. A numerical approach based on an inverted 2D Biot-Savart model was used to calculate the current paths across the homogeneous polycrystalline bulk, as well as in the vicinity and across some morphological defects. Local current densities in the homogeneous part were estimated as a function of the applied magnetic field at different temperatures, in three regimes: below full penetration, at full penetration and above full penetration, respectively. A hypothesis of interpretation of the apparent absence of magnetic granularity inside the polycrystalline microstructure is presented. It is related to a critical state likely reached by a network of strongly coupled Josephson junctions. Received 31 May 2001 and Received in final form 5 December 2001     

Diffractive heavy vector meson production from the BFKL equation

Diffractive heavy vector meson photoproduction accompanied by proton dissociation is studied for arbitrary momentum transfer. The process is described by the non-forward BFKL equation, for which a complete analytical solution is found, giving the scattering amplitude. The impact of non-leading corrections to the BFKL equation is also analysed. Results are compared to the HERA data on production. Received: 2 July 2002 / Revised version: 29 August 2002 / Published online: 18 October 2002     

The spin-S Blume-Capel RG flow diagram

Using the finite-size scaling renormalization group, we obtain the two-dimensional flow diagram of the Blume-Capel model forS=1 andS=3/2. In the first case our results are similar to those of mean-field theory, which predicts the existence of first- and second-order transitions with a tricritical point. In the second case, however, our results are different. While we obtain in theS=1 case a phase diagram presenting a multicritical point, the mean-field approach predicts only a second-order transition and a critical endpoint.     

Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields on Riemann-Cartan manifolds

In this paper we study Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields (DHSF) on a four-dimensional Riemann-Cartan spacetime (RCST). We prove that these fields must be defined as certain equivalence classes of even sections of the Clifford bundle (over the RCST), thereby being certain particular sections of a new bundle named the spin-Clifford bundle (SCB). The conditions for the existence of the SCB are studied and are shown to be equivalent to Geroch's theorem concerning the existence of spinor structures in a Lorentzian spacetime. We introduce also the covariant and algebraic Dirac spinor fields and compare these with DHSF, showing that all three kinds of spinor fields contain the same mathematical and physical information. We clarify also the notion of (Crumeyrolle's) amorphous spinors (Dirac-Kähler spinor fields are of this type), showing that they cannot be used to describe fermionic fields. We develop a rigorous theory for the covariant derivatives of Clifford fields (sections of the Clifford bundle, CB) and of Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields. We show how to generalize the original Dirac-Hestenes equation in Minkowski spacetime for the case of RCST. Our results are obtained from a variational principle formulated through the multiform derivative approach to Lagrangian field theory in the Clifford bundle.     

Exciton states in In x Ga1−x As/GaAs double quantum wells: Normalized reflection spectra

Il Nuovo Cimento D - Normalized reflection spectra in GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells are shown for two sets of samples with different alloy concentration (x=9% and 18.5%) and well thickness ranging from...     

Kinetics of benzonitrile nitration with mixed acid under homogeneous conditions

Chemical kinetics of benzonitrile nitration with mixed acid is investigated in the temperature range 283–299 K. Pseudo-first-order rate constants are evaluated by means of rate experiments on homogeneous reacting mixtures having large stoichiometric excesses of nitric acid. The second-order kinetic constants for nitronium ion attack to the aromatic substrate are derived on the basis of the assessed nitration mechanism. An activation energy of 604 ± 37 kJ mol^?1 is calculated for this reaction step. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.