The two-dimensional quantum Euclidean algebra

The algebra dual to Woronowicz's deformation of the two-dimensional Euclidean group is constructed. The same algebra is obtained from SU _q (2) via contraction on both the group and algebra levels.     

Positron-lithium scattering with the inclusion of positronium formation

Detailed studies have been made of elastic scattering and positronium formation in low energy collisions of positrons with lithium atoms for the two partial wavesl=0,1. For this system, as for all alkali atoms, the positronium formation channel is open even at zero positron energy. A two-channel version of the Kohn variational method is used with trial functions containing many variational parameters, and reasonably well converged results are obtained. The s-wave positronium formation cross section is infinite at zero positron energy but it then falls rapidly to become several orders of magnitude smaller than the elastic scattering cross section which has a maximum value of approximately 100 ₀ ² at a positron energy of 0.5 eV. For p-wave scattering the positronium formation cross section rises to a value of approximately 10 ₀ ² at an energy of 0.1 eV, with the elastic scattering cross section rising to a maximum of approximately 60 ₀ ² just below the first excitation threshold at 1.84 eV.     

A reanalysis of branching fractions of charmed mesonsD 0,D + andD s +

We combine highly complementary information on branching fractions of charmed mesonsD ⁰,D ⁺ andD _s ⁺ coming from two experiments both yielding doublecharm samples. The NA 32 experiment provided exclusive branching fractions for channels with at least two charged decay products while a recent Mark III paper provides results on inclusive charm decay properties. The knowledge of channels withK ⁰'s in the former is used to recalculate the charged multiplicity distribution in the latter. We obtain 〈n _ch〉=2.25±0.08 forD ⁰, 〈n _ch〉=1.96±0.08 forD ⁺ and 〈n _ch〉=2.41±0.38 forD _s ⁺ . In turn the knowledge of the charged multiplicity improves the overall normalization of exclusive branching fractions. This reanalysis yields model-independent results for charmed mesons. In particular we obtain branching fractions for 16D _s ⁺ decay channels including $$BF(D_s^ + \to \phi \pi ^ + ) = \left( {4.4\begin{array}{*{20}c} { + 2.3} \\ { - 1.8} \\ \end{array} } \right)\% .$$ .     

A novel approach to the acoustic characterisation of porous road surfaces

Porous road surfaces offer an effective means of reducing the generation and propagation of noise from road traffic. However, the porosity of these surfaces can deteriorate over time, leading to a reduction in their noise reducing properties. Efficient methods are therefore required for monitoring this performance. Existing techniques for performing in-situ measurements of acoustic absorption are unsuitable for use within the traffic stream. Static measurements using time domain Maximum Length Sequence (MLS) based techniques have been demonstrated to offer advantages over traditional techniques, presenting the opportunity for measurements under dynamic conditions. This paper describes the design of a system for carrying out dynamic MLS-based measurements. Results are presented which demonstrate that stable dynamic measurements can be carried out at speeds of up to 30 km/h.     

The use of stress for the control of magnetic anisotropy in amorphous FeSiBC thin films: a magneto-optic study

Magnetostrictive FeSiBC amorphous thin films based on the METGLAS^® 2605SC composition have been produced by RF magnetron sputtering. The magnetic properties were investigated using the magneto-optical Kerr effect, with both point hysteresis measurements and domain imaging. Significant in-plane anisotropy is observed in the as-grown samples, which was attributed to the residual field from the magnetron sputter source. The effects of various treatments on the samples were investigated, including the use of forming fields, stress, and thermal processing. The deliberate introduction of stress into these materials is found to allow excellent control of both the direction and magnitude of magnetic anisotropy, and can also be used as a novel method for the absolute measurement of magnetostriction. The treatments are evaluated for their potential to control anisotropy in magnetostrictive device applications.     

A-stable block implicit one-step methods

A class of methods for solving the initial value problem for ordinary differential equations is studied. We developr-block implicit one-step methods which compute a block ofr new values simultaneously with each step of application. These methods are examined for the property ofA-stability. A sub-class of formulas is derived which is related to Newton-Cotes quadrature and it is shown that for block sizesr=1,2,..., 8 these methods areA-stable while those forr=9,10 are not. We constructA-stable formulas having arbitrarily high orders of accuracy, even stiffly (strongly)A-stable formulas.     

Lifetimes of charged and neutralD mesons

We have measured the lifetimes of hadronically produced charged and neutralD mesons using silicon microstrip detectors and an active silicon target in the NA32 spectrometer at the CERN SPS. We obtainτ _D± = (10.9± _1.5 ^1.9 )·10^?13s andτ _D ^(?)10 = (4.2±0.5)·10^?13s based on 59 and 90 fully reconstructed decays respectively, giving a ratioτ _D±/τ _D ^(?)10 of 2.6 ±0.5.     

Dipole transitions from excited S states of two-electron systems in time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory

Surface enhanced Raman scattering has been observed for O₂ molecules adsorbed on polydiacetylene single crystals. The spectral dependence of the Raman cross section suggests that the enhancement is due to a well-defined electronic transition of energy 2.39 eV which involves a significant degree of charge transfer from the conjugated polydiacetylene backbone to the O₂ molecule.