Crystal Structure and Spectroscopic Investigations of POF3

Phosphoryl fluoride was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The X‐ray structure was obtained by in‐situ crystallization. Phosphoryl fluoride crystallizes in the trigonal space group P$\bar{3}$ m1 with two formula units in the unit cell. In the crystal structure zigzag chains are observed which are formed by intermolecular P–O contacts. The Raman spectra of neat and matrix isolated POF₃ display an extra line, which indicates intermolecular interaction in the solid state. Therefore quantum chemically calculation of a POF₃ oligomer was performed. The theoretical calculation indicates that the extra Raman line is caused by side splitting of the P–O valence vibration.     

High‐order Stokes and anti‐Stokes Raman generation in monoisotopic CVD 12C‐diamond

We determined, for the first time, the room temperature phonon energy related to the F_2g vibration mode (ω_SRS(12C) ～ 1333.2 cm^–1) in a mono‐crystalline single‐isotope CVD ¹²C‐diamond crystal by means of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) spectroscopy. Picosecond one‐micron excitation using a Nd³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂‐laser generates a nearly two‐octave spanning SRS frequency comb (～12000 cm^–1) consisting of higher‐order Stokes and anti‐Stokes components. The spacing of the spectral lines was found to differ by Δω_SRS ～ 0.9 cm^–1 from the comb spacing (ω_SRS(natC) ～ 1332.3 cm^–1) when pumping a conventional CVD diamond crystal with a natural composition of the two stable carbon isotopes ¹²C (98.93%) and ¹³C (1.07%). (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Non-minimal and non-universal supersymmetry

I motivate and discuss non-minimal and non-universal models of supersymmetry and supergravity consistent with string unification at 10¹⁰ GeV.     

The small core of the German corporate board network

We consider the bipartite graph of German corporate boards and identify a small core of directors who are highly central in the entire network while being densely connected among themselves. To identify the core, we compare the actual number of board memberships to a random benchmark, focusing on deviations from the benchmark that span several orders of magnitude. The board appointment decisions of largely capitalized companies appear to be the driving force behind the existence of a core in Germany’s corporate network.     

3D Morphology and Permeability of Highly Porous Cellulosic Fibrous Material

Fibrous materials are structures whose complexity depends on the size and geometry of the fibres and on their arrangement induced by the manufacturing process. We interest here in the permeability for air of wood-based fibrous materials with high porosity on which experimental measurements are difficult to be implemented without structural modifications. In this study, we show the usefulness of 3D X-ray tomography imaging in both experimental and numerical permeability measurements. Image analysis tools derived from mathematical morphology are used to access quantitative structural parameters of the interconnected pores (porosities, pore size distributions and correlation lengths), as well as needed information on the experimental samples (cross-section area and length). A specific experimental setup and methodology is proposed to assess the permeability derived from Darcy’s law. Results are then compared to direct numerical simulation of Stokes flow carried out on 3D representative volumes of the fibrous materials.