The short-time critical behaviour of the Ginzburg-Landau model with long-range interaction

The renormalisation group approach is applied to the study of the short-time critical behaviour of the d-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau model with long-range interaction of the form in momentum space. Firstly the system is quenched from a high temperature to the critical temperature and then relaxes to equilibrium within the model A dynamics. The asymptotic scaling laws and the initial slip exponents and of the order parameter and the response function respectively, are calculated to the second order in . Received 9 June 2000 and Received in final form 2 August 2000     

Experimental observation of lattice distortions due to a flux line lattice in niobium

A polarized neutron scattering investigation of the flux line lattice in the type-II superconductor niobium is reported. A modulation of the nuclear lattice has been detected, and the magnitude of the first Fourier component of the lattice distortion established relative to the magnitude of the magnetic scattering. This constitutes the first experimental observation of lattice distortions due to the presence of magnetic flux lines within the bulk of a type-II superconductor. Using a simple microscopic model the lattice distortion in niobium is estimated. A new mechanism is suggested for the coupling of the flux line lattice to the crystallographic lattice. The experimental technique opens up the possibility of investigating the microscopic mechanism of flux line - nuclear lattice interactions, in particular the pinning of flux lines within the bulk of a type-II superconductor. Received: 8 August 1997 / Accepted: 16 October 1997     

Application of continuous flow and alternative energy devices for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production

Dehydration of fructose and glucose in dipolar, aprotic solvents leads to formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Conditions for continuous flow reactions using a cartridge-based reactor system and a stop-flow microwave reactor were established showing very good product yields and selectivity without the limitation of a batch process such as upscaling and precise temperature monitoring and control. A maximum product HPLC yield of 90.3% under cartridge-based heating and 85.6% under microwave heating could be achieved using mild and quick reaction conditions. Formation of levulinic acid as a by-product could not be detected under the optimized reaction conditions.     

Time-humidity-superposition principle in electrical conductivity spectra of ion-conducting polymers

We analyze the scaling properties of the ac conductivity spectra of ion-conducting polyelectrolyte complexes of different compositions. Spectra were taken at ambient temperature but at different relative humidities. For the first time, we report on a scaling principle for conductivity spectra termed "time-humidity-superposition principle" in analogy with the well-known time-temperature-superposition principle. This model-free scaling holds for different materials over several decades in frequency. It implies that the hydration is activating ion motion over short and long distances in a similar general way, a concept so far only established for thermal energy.     

Electronic quasiparticle renormalization on the spin wave energy scale

High-resolution photoemission data of the (110) iron surface reveal the existence of well-defined metallic surface resonances in good correspondence to band calculations. Close to the Fermi level, their dispersion and momentum broadening display anomalies characteristic of quasiparticle renormalization due to coupling to bosonic excitations. Its energy scale exceeds that of phonons by far, and is in striking coincidence with that of the spin wave spectrum in iron. The self-energy behavior thus gives spectroscopic evidence of a quasiparticle mass enhancement due to electron-magnon coupling.     

Compact soft x-ray microscope using a gas-discharge light source

We report on a soft x-ray microscope using a gas-discharge plasma with pseudo spark-like electrode geometry as a light source. The source produces a radiant intensity of 4 x 10(13) photons/(sr pulse) for the 2.88 nm emission line of helium-like nitrogen. At a demonstrated 1 kHz repetition rate a brilliance of 4.3 x 10(9) photons/(microm2 sr s) is obtained for the 2.88 nm line. Ray-tracing simulations show that, employing an adequate grazing incidence collector, a photon flux of 1 x 10(7) photons/(microm2 s) can be achieved with the current source. The applicability of the presented pinch plasma concept to soft x-ray microscopy is demonstrated in a proof-of-principle experiment.     

Evidence for core-shell magnetic behavior in antiferromagnetic Co3O4 nanowires

Employing magnetometry measurements, we have studied Co3O4 nanowires focusing on the core-shell behavior. We find two magnetic contributions, i.e., a regular antiferromagnetic and an additional irreversible one. The first contribution can be attributed to the antiferromagnetically ordered wire cores. The nature of the second one can be identified using thermoremanent and isothermoremanent magnetizaton curves as magnetic fingerprints of the irreversible magnetization. We conclude that the nanowire shell behaves like a two-dimensional diluted antiferromagnet in a field.     

Spin-isospin density fluctuations in nuclear collisions

The possible build-up of the spin-isospin fluctuation strength in nuclear collisions is investigated. In lack of quantum mechanical methods we rely on assumptions usually applied for heavy ion collisions. Based on a fluid dynamical picture we present our ‘isospin coupling in a nucleon cascade’. Within this framework it is possible to describe the mean isospin value as a function of the number of participants in a heavy ion collision and it is possible to study the effect of neutron excess. Since the pion field couples to the spin-isospin density a substantial size of this quantity gives rise to pion bremsstrahlung, the dominant subthreshold pion production mechanism.     

Resonant electron transfer andL-shell excitation at 3.6 MeV/u Smq+→Xe collisions

Resonance energies and widths of four resonances in the reaction²⁵Mg(p,γ)²⁶Al were measured with the high resolution proton beam of the new 500 kV accelerator IONAS. The previously given large width of the 389 keV resonance, Γ= 460±70 eV. (1), used in the interpretation of stellar²⁶A1 production was shown to be incorrect and probably caused by target oxidation effects and insufficient energy resolution of the beam. The new value is Γ<4 eV.     

The isotopes259106,260106, and261106

In irradiations of²⁰⁷Pb and²⁰⁸Pb, respectively, with⁵⁴Cr theα-decay of the isotopes²⁵⁹106,²⁶⁰106, and²⁶¹106 could be observed for the first time. For²⁶⁰106 a spontaneous fission branch of (50 _?20 ⁺³⁰ )% was observed. The isotopes were identified by genetic relationships of α-decay after separation in-flight with the velocity filter SHIP and implantation into a position-sensitive silicon surface-barrier detector. The measured partial fission halflife of the doubly even isotope²⁶⁰106 of (7.2 _?2.7 ^+4.8 )ms exceeds the predicted values by at least a factor of 40. This result could be explained by the high shell corrections of the ground state mass, derived from the measured α-decay energies. The experimental results show evidence for an island of purely shell stabilized nuclei in the region of deformed isotopes beyond the actinides.