QCD sum rules: charmonium

The dimensiond=4 gluon condensateφ ₁ is determined from an analysis of charmonium, taking model dependent estimates ofd=6.8 condensates into account. ForS-waves, there is a compatibility region, where both these and model dependent higher state corrections to ground state dominance are small, enablingφ ₁ to be determined from a fit to the data. ForP-waves the estimated higher dimension contributions are large in the region of ground state dominance, and noφ ₁ determination is possible. Theφ ₁ value obtained from the fit to theS-wave ratios is 3 5 times bigger than that obtained by RRY using the plateau method. The methods are compared for the vector current. We show that the higher state correction used by RRY does not fit the data; and that the plateau method is much more sensitive to thed=6.8 condensates than the ratio used here. When reasonable estimates of both these and the higher state corrections are taken into account, there is compatibility between the two methods.     

The study of cluster phenomenon at accelerator energies

Correlation between the particles from the proton-nucleus interactions in emulsion at 70 GeV/c is presented through the study of the rapidity gap analysis and compared with the two-particle rapidity correlations. It is observed that the strength of correlation decreases as the size of cluster increases. Asymmetry between the forward and backward components were also studied.Authors are thankful to Prof. K. D. Tolstov, JINR, Dubna, USSR for sending the exposed emulsion plates. Thanks are also due to UGC for financial assistance. We sincerely acknowledge the encouragement from Prof. T. Roy.     

Convergence rates for Markov chain order estimates using EDC criterion

The Efficient Determination Criterion (EDC) generalizes the AIC and BIC criteria and provides a class of consistent estimators for the order of a Markov chain with finite state space. In this note, we derive rates of convergence for the EDC estimates. *Partially supported by CNPq, CAPES/PROCAD, FAPDF/PRONEX, FINATEC and FUNPE/UnB. **Partially supported by CAPES.     

State of the art of color interferometry at ONERA

At ONERA-Lille center a lot of studies have been conducted to characterize complex flows using an optical method based on differential interferometry with Wollaston prism and white polarized light source. Several applications are presented in two-dimensional and axisymmetric flows and in a gaseous mixture where the two gases interface is submitted to acceleration. Then, real-time color holographic interferometry (RCHI) has been developed to obtain the refractive index itself in two dimensional wake flow. The last improvements concern the extension of this method for analyzing three dimensional flows. The authors present a specific setup defined in a single sight direction, the aim being to reproduce the same optical setup along several sight directions, each shifted by a given angle. This optical technique uses reflection holograms where the diffraction efficiency of plates is strongly influenced by the variations in the gelatin thickness produced during the holograms treatment. Problems are discussed and solutions are proposed to control the gelatin shrinkage for two different types of used holograms. The results obtained in a one sight direction make it possible to build in the future an optical setup allowing several simultaneous line-of-sight optical measurements.     

Bimodal fission in binary and ternary spontaneous fission of 252Cf

The hot bimodal fission of ²⁵²Cf is reexamined with new high-statistics data. We constructed a γ-γ-γ coincidence cube for binary fission and LCP-gated γ-γ matrix for ternary fission. By identifying the secondary fission fragments from their γ-ray transitions, we measured the yields for various fission splits. The normal neutron yield distribution is found to be Gaussian for Xe-Ru. However, the binary fission split of Ba-Mo is found to exhibit a bimodal neutron distribution with the “hot mode” corresponding to ≈3.1% of the total yield. In α ternary fission, the first measurements of yields for specific fission splits are presented. The Te-α-Ru and Xe-α-Mo neutron yields fit well with a single mode, but the Ba-α-Zr split shows evidence for an enhanced hot mode with an intensity of ≈13.8% of the normal mode. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

DSC monitoring of supermolecular structure damage of polyethylene products

Investigated materials were produced from polyethylene of low density (PE-LD) and a filler: carbon black or chalk. A part of the samples was kept in ambient temperature over several months in order to study the effect of material ageing. The qualitative conclusions were drawn based on a precise analysis of shape of DSC curves and the basic investigations of PE morphologies known from literature. The influence of the thermal history and the filler contents on the amount and kind of crystal phase was established. Additionally, the effect of the measurement technique, in our case it was positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), on the morphological feature changes was found. The paper serves selected examples of problems solved by DSC. However, from the other hand, the authors discuss critically the opportunity given by this method.     

Finding the best visualization of an ontology

An ontology is a classification model for a given domain. In information retrieval, ontologies are used to perform broad searches. An ontology can be visualized as nodes and edges. Each node represents an element and each edge a relation between a parent and a child element. Working with an ontology becomes easier with a visual representation. An idea is to use the expressive power of 3D representation to provide visualization for the user. In this paper, we propose a new method for positioning the elements of the visualized concept lattice in the 3D world based on operations research (OR) methods. One method uses a discrete location model to create an initial solution and we propose heuristic methods to further improve the visual result. We evaluate the visual results according to our success criteria and the feedback from users. Running times of the heuristic indicate that an improved version should be feasible for on-line processing and what-if analysis of ontologies.     

Ultrasound accelerated Claisen-Schmidt condensation: A green route to chalcones

Chalcones have been synthesized under sonochemical irradiation by Claisen-Schmidt condensation between benzaldehyde and acetophenone. Two basic activated carbons (Na and Cs-Norit) have been used as catalysts. The effect of the ultrasound activation has been studied. A substantial enhancing effect in the yield was observed when the carbon catalyst was activated under ultrasonic waves. This “green” method (combination of alkaline-doped carbon catalyst and ultrasound waves) has been applied to the synthesis of several chalcones with antibacterial properties achieving, in all cases, excellent activities and selectivities. A comparative study under non-sonic activation has showed that the yields are lower in silent conditions, indicating that the sonication exerts a positive effect on the activity of the catalyst. Cs-doped carbon is presented as the optimum catalyst, giving excellent activity for this type of condensation. Cs-Norit carbon catalyst can compete with the traditional NaOH/EtOH when the reaction is carried out under ultrasounds. The role of solvent in this reaction was studied with ethanol. High conversion was obtained in absence of solvent. The carbons were characterized by thermal analysis, nitrogen adsorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Texture and electronic activity of grain boundaries in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films

The influence of different film textures on the electronic properties of polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ absorbers is studied by measuring the laterally resolved optoelectronic properties of differently textured Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films with Kelvin probe force microscopy and cathodoluminescence. The grain boundaries in (112)- and (220/204)-textured films behave differently. The work-function profile measured with the Kelvin probe across a grain boundary in (112)-textured films shows a dip indicating positive charges at the grain boundaries. In panchromatic cathodoluminescence mappings in a transmission electron microscope, such grain boundaries appear dark, i.e. the strongly reduced luminescence indicates that the grain boundaries represent strong non-radiative recombination centers. In contrast, grain boundaries in (220/204)-textured films give rise to a dip or a step in the work function indicating slightly negative charge or neutrality. Cathodoluminescence is reduced at such grain boundaries, but less dramatically than in the (112)-textured case. However, when Na is present in the (220/204)-textured films, the grain boundaries are almost invisible in cathodoluminescence mappings. This strong passivating action of Na occurs only in the (220/204)-textured films, due to a particular grain-boundary population. In (112)-textured films and films without pronounced texture, this passivation effect is much less noticeable. PACS 73.50.Gr; 73.61.Ga; 78.60.Hk; 87.64.Dt