Working group report: Neutrino and astroparticle physics

This is the report of neutrino and astroparticle physics working group at WHEPP-8. We present the discussions carried out during the workshop on selected topics in the above fields and also indicate progress made subsequently. The neutrino physics subgroup studied the possibilities of constraining neutrino masses, mixing and CPT violation in lepton sector from future experiments. Neutrino mass models in the context of Abelian horizontal symmetries, warped extra dimensions and in the presence of triplet Higgs were studied. Effect of threshold corrections on radiative magnification of mixing angles was investigated. The astroparticle physics subgroup focused on how various particle physics inputs affect the CMBR fluctuation spectrum, and on brane cosmology. This report also contains an introduction on how to use the publicly available code CMBFAST to calculate the CMBR fluctuations.     

FTIR, FT-Raman spectra and ab initio DFT vibrational analysis of 2-bromo-4-methyl-phenylamine

The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of 2-bromo-4-methyl-phenylamine (BMP) have been recorded. From the standard geometrical parameters the geometry of BMP was optimized at ab initio and DFT levels of theory with complete relaxation in the potential energy surface using 6-311+g(d,p) and 6-311+g(2df,2p) basis sets. Several thermodynamic parameters were also calculated for the minimum energy conformer at ab initio and DFT level of theories. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and the scaled values have been compared with experimental FTIR and FT-Raman spectra. Majority of the computed wavenumbers were found to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. The experimental spectra also coincide satisfactorily with those of theoretically constructed bar type spectrograms.     

Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction assisted by palladium nanoparticles-decorated zeolite 13X nanocomposite: a greener approach

Heterogeneous catalysts govern the field of catalysis due to their easy separation from a reaction mixture, reusability, and prevention of agglomeration, making them more efficient catalysts than homogeneous catalysts. Herein, we report the eco-friendly synthesis of a novel heterogeneous catalyst, viz. palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) decorated over zeolite 13X nanocomposite using dried fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz. as the reducing and stabilizing agent and its performance as a promising catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. The particle size, crystallinity, morphology, and textural properties of the catalyst were identified using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis which confirmed the presence of palladium nanoparticles on the surface of zeolite 13X. The FESEM images revealed the presence of spherical-shaped Pd NPs over the cubical particles of zeolite 13X. The average particle size of the palladium nanoparticles was found to be in the range of 6–7 nm and was polycrystalline in nature. From BET analysis, it was inferred that the decoration of Pd NPs decreased the surface area of zeolite 13X (615.5 m²/g to 548.334 m²/g), thus leaving pores unoccupied. This study showed the efficiency of this novel catalyst in the formation of biaryl derivatives using low palladium loadings (0.0012 mol%) giving good to excellent yields (90–99%) within short reaction times (10–225 min) with high TONs (>?79,000) and TOFs (>?21,000). Both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing aryl halides and aryl boronic acids reacted smoothly in the presence of K₂CO₃ as a base and EtOH/H₂O (1:1) as the solvent. Besides, the catalyst could be recycled and reused for 5 consecutive runs with minimal loss of its efficiency. The supremacy of this catalyst could well be exploited in future for various organic transformations.

Graphical abstract

     

Four-component tandem protocol for the stereoselective synthesis of highly functionalized [1,4]-thiazines

The one-pot, four-component tandem reaction of ethyl 2-[(2-oxo-2-arylethyl)sulfonyl]acetate/ethyl 2-[(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)sulfonyl]acetate, an aromatic aldehyde and pyrrolidine provides a rapid and facile access to new ethyl 3-aroyl-1-benzyl-2,2-dioxo-4-aryloctahydro-2-pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]thiazine-1-carboxylates/diethyl 1-benzyl-2,2-dioxo-4-aryloctahydro-2-pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]thiazine-1,3-dicarboxylates. This reaction shows high stereoselectivity and proceeds in good yields.     

The Influence of Elastic Strain on Catalytic Activity in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Understanding the role of elastic strain in modifying catalytic reaction rates is crucial for catalyst design, but experimentally, this effect is often coupled with a ligand effect. To isolate the strain effect, we have investigated the influence of externally applied elastic strain on the catalytic activity of metal films in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We show that elastic strain tunes the catalytic activity in a controlled and predictable way. Both theory and experiment show strain controls reactivity in a controlled manner consistent with the qualitative predictions of the HER volcano plot and the d‐band theory: Ni and Pt's activities were accelerated by compression, while Cu's activity was accelerated by tension. By isolating the elastic strain effect from the ligand effect, this study provides a greater insight into the role of elastic strain in controlling electrocatalytic activity.     

Semi-continuity of metric projections in -direct sums

Let be a proximinal subspace of finite codimension of . We show that is proximinal in and the metric projection from onto is Hausdorff metric continuous. In particular, this implies that the metric projection from onto is both lower Hausdorff semi-continuous and upper Hausdorff semi-continuous.

     

Single Step Fabrication of Chitosan Nanocrystals Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penaeus semisulcatus</Emphasis>: Potential as New Insecticides,Antimicrobials and Plant Growth Promoters

In this study, chitosan nanoparticles (CH-NPs) were synthesized using Penaeus semisulcatus shrimp shells and characterized using UV–Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy, as well as XRD and HR-TEM analyses. CH-NPs were investigated for growth inhibition properties against selected species of bacterial and fungal pathogens, showing performances higher or comparable over positive controls, respectively. Furthermore, CH-NPs were tested on three important mosquito vectors, achieving LC₅₀ from 12.27 to 14.62 µg/ml. In addition, CH-NPs were evaluated using in vitro plant tissue culture by rooting gel method, to enhance the vegetative growth of the medicinal plant species Sphaeranthus indicus. With the simple technique presented here, large-scale industrial production of CH-NPs is possible. They can be used to develop pesticides highly effective against mosquito vectors of high medical and veterinary importance, as well as for plant tissue culture and food packaging applications.     

Degrees of high-dimensional subvarieties of determinantal varieties

Let , where is a prime, and . In , let be the variety defined by . We show that any subvariety of of codimension less than must have degree a multiple of . We also show that the bounds on the codimension in our results are strict by exhibiting subvarieties of the appropriate codimension whose degrees are prime to .

     

Synthesis, growth of organic nonlinear optical crystal: Semicarbazone of 2-amino-5-chloro-benzophenone (S2A5CB) and its characterisation

A new organic crystal of semicarbazone of 2–amino–5–chloro–benzophenone has been grown as a single crystal by slow evaporation solution growth technique for the first time in the literature. The grown crystal has been characterised by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis and single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction studies. Functional groups of the crystallised molecules were confirmed by FT-IR and FT-Raman analyses. Mechanical strength of the crystals was studied by microhardness test. Optical transparency of the grown crystals has been studied by UV-Visible spectra. The second harmonic generation property of the compound was analysed.