On the convergence rate and optimization of a numerical method with splitting of boundary conditions for the stokes system in a spherical layer in the axisymmetric case: Modification for thick layers

The convergence rate of a fast-converging second-order accurate iterative method with splitting of boundary conditions constructed by the authors for solving an axisymmetric Dirichlet boundary value problem for the Stokes system in a spherical gap is studied numerically. For R/r exceeding about 30, where r and R are the radii of the inner and outer boundary spheres, it is established that the convergence rate of the method is lower (and considerably lower for large R/r) than the convergence rate of its differential version. For this reason, a really simpler, more slowly converging modification of the original method is constructed on the differential level and a finite-element implementation of this modification is built. Numerical experiments have revealed that this modification has the same convergence rate as its differential counterpart for R/r of up to 5 × 10³. When the multigrid method is used to solve the split and auxiliary boundary value problems arising at iterations, the modification is more efficient than the original method starting from R/r ～ 30 and is considerably more efficient for large values of R/r. It is also established that the convergence rates of both methods depend little on the stretching coefficient η of circularly rectangular mesh cells in a range of η that is well sufficient for effective use of the multigrid method for arbitrary values of R/r smaller than ～ 5 × 10³.     

Advances in constant-velocity Mössbauer instrumentation

A prototype of a programmable constant-velocity scaler is presented. This instrument allows the acquisition of partial Mössbauer spectra in selected energy regions using standard drivers and transducers. It can be fully operated by a remote application, thus data acquisition can be automated. The instrument consists of a programmable counter and a constant-velocity reference. The reference waveform generator is amplitude modulated with 13-bit resolution, and is programmable in a wide range of frequencies and waveforms in order to optimize the performance of the transducer. The counter is compatible with most standard SCA, and is configured as a rate-meter that provides counts per selectable time slice at the programmed velocity. As a demonstration of the instrument applications, a partial Mössbauer spectrum of a natural iron foil was taken. Only positive energies were studied in 512 channels, accumulating 20 s per channel. A line width of 0.20 mm/s was achieved, performing with an efficiency of 80%.     

Simulation of structure formation in disperse systems

The main rules governing the redistribution of microparticles in disperse systems were revealed by computer simulation. These rules predetermine the character and properties of the structure being formed, which opens up the possibility to control the properties of disperse materials, including sorbents and catalysts based on high-dispersity solid phases.     

Comment on breakup densities of hot nuclei

In [V.E. Viola et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 (2004) 132701, D.S. Bracken et al., Phys. Rev. C 69 (2004) 034612] the observed decrease in spectral peak energies of IMFs emitted from hot nuclei was interpreted in terms of a breakup density that decreased with increasing excitation energy. Subsequently, Raduta et al. [Ad. Raduta et al., Phys. Lett. B 623 (2005) 43] performed MMM simulations that showed decreasing spectral peaks could be obtained at constant density. In this Letter we point out that this apparent inconsistency is due to a selective comparison of theory and data that overlooks the evolution of the fragment multiplicities as a function of excitation energy.     

Cathodoluminescence study of extended defects in hydrothermal ZnO crystals

Understanding the luminescence of ZnO is very important for some applications. In spite of the many studies carried out, there are still some points concerning the origin of some of the luminescence emissions in ZnO crystals that require additional study; in particular, the role of extended defects remains to be a matter of controversy. We present here a cathodoluminescence analysis of the defects generated by Vickers indentation in hydrothermal HTT crystals. Special emphasis was paid to the luminescence band peaking around 3.3 eV. The origin of this band is a matter of controversy, since it has been related to different causes, extended defects being one of the candidates for this emission. The CL images were acquired around crystal defects. It is observed that the 3.3 eV emission is enhanced around the crystal defects; though it is also observed, but weaker, out of the defect regions, which suggests that there exist two luminescence emissions peaking very close to 3.3 eV. The two emissions, one related to structural defects and the other to the LO phonon replica of the free excitonic band, appear very close each other and their relative intensity should determine the shape of the spectrum.     

Frozen Landweber Iteration for Nonlinear Ill-Posed Problems

In this paper we propose a modification of the Landweber iteration termed frozen Landweberiteration for nonlinear ill-posed problems.A convergence analysis for this iteration is presented.The numericalperformance of this frozen Landweber iteration for a nonlinear Hammerstein integral equation is compared withthat of the Landweber iteration.We obtain a shorter running time of the frozen Landweber iteration based onthe same convergence accuracy.     

An algebraic index theorem for orbifolds

Using the concept of a twisted trace density on a cyclic groupoid, a trace is constructed on a formal deformation quantization of a symplectic orbifold. An algebraic index theorem for orbifolds follows as a consequence of a local Riemann-Roch theorem for such densities. In the case of a reduced orbifold, this proves a conjecture by Fedosov, Schulze, and Tarkhanov. Finally, it is shown how the Kawasaki index theorem for elliptic operators on orbifolds follows from this algebraic index theorem.     

Parallelization of population-based multi-objective meta-heuristics: An empirical study

In single-objective optimization it is possible to find a global optimum, while in the multi-objective case no optimal solution is clearly defined, but several that simultaneously optimize all the objectives. However, the majority of this kind of problems cannot be solved exactly as they have very large and highly complex search spaces. Recently, meta-heuristic approaches have become important tools for solving multi-objective problems encountered in industry as well as in the theoretical field. Most of these meta-heuristics use a population of solutions, and hence the runtime increases when the population size grows. An interesting way to overcome this problem is to apply parallel processing. This paper analyzes the performance of several parallel paradigms in the context of population-based multi-objective meta-heuristics. In particular, we evaluate four alternative parallelizations of the Pareto simulated annealing algorithm, in terms of quality of the solutions, and speedup.     

Photoemission studies of oxygen adsorbed on a LiAl(1 1 0) alloy surface: Role of Li segregation

We investigated that the effect of the number of segregated Li atoms on the rate of oxidation on a LiAl alloy surface. Oxygen molecules adsorbed on the LiAl alloy react with the surface atoms to form stable oxides. The segregated Li atoms at reconstructed surfaces (c(2×2) and (2×1)) enhance the oxidation rate and form stable LiAlO_x and Li₂O. The degree of enhancement of oxidation by segregated Li atoms varies as a function of O₂ exposure and annealing temperature, where the latter is directly related to the mode of surface reconstruction by Li segregation.