LD side-pumped Nd:GGG CW laser operating at 1110 and 1105 nm dual wavelengths and 1110 nm single wavelength

A diode-side-pumped continuous-wave Nd:GGG laser operating at dual-wavelength (1110 and 1105 nm) and single wavelength of 1110 nm is demonstrated for the first time. The maximum output power of the 1110 and 1105 nm dual-wavelength operation is 13.2 W. By adjusting the orientation of an insertion mirror, the relative intensities of the two wavelengths can be changed. Thus single wavelength operation at 1110 nm is obtained, and the output power is 9.6 W.     

Anti-diffusion method for interface steepening in two-phase incompressible flow

In this paper, we present a method for obtaining sharp interfaces in two-phase incompressible flows by an anti-diffusion correction, that is applicable in a straight-forward fashion for the improvement of two-phase flow solution schemes typically employed in practical applications. The underlying discretization is based on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) interface-capturing method on unstructured meshes. The key idea is to steepen the interface, independently of the underlying volume-fraction transport equation, by solving a diffusion equation with reverse time, i.e. an anti-diffusion equation, after each advection time step of the volume fraction. As the solution of the anti-diffusion equation requires regularization, a limiter based on the directional derivative is developed for calculating the gradient of the volume fraction. This limiter ensures the boundedness of the volume fraction. In order to control the amount of anti-diffusion introduced by the correction algorithm we propose a suitable stopping criterion for interface steepening. The formulation of the limiter and the algorithm for solving the anti-diffusion equation are applicable to 3-dimensional unstructured meshes. Validation computations are performed for passive advection of an interface, for 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional rising-bubbles, and for a rising drop in a periodically constricted channel. The results demonstrate that sharp interfaces can be recovered reliably. They show that the accuracy is similar to or even better than that of level-set methods using comparable discretizations for the flow and the level-set evolution. Also, we observe a good agreement with experimental results for the rising drop where proper interface evolution requires accurate mass conservation.     

Moment equations for a spatially extended system of two competing species

The dynamics of a spatially extended system of two competing species in the presence of two noise sources is studied. A correlated dichotomous noise acts on the interaction parameter and a multiplicative white noise affects directly the dynamics of the two species. To describe the spatial distribution of the species we use a model based on Lotka-Volterra (LV) equations. By writing them in a mean field form, the corresponding moment equations for the species concentrations are obtained in Gaussian approximation. In this formalism the system dynamics is analyzed for different values of the multiplicative noise intensity. Finally by comparing these results with those obtained by direct simulations of the time discrete version of LV equations, that is coupled map lattice (CML) model, we conclude that the anticorrelated oscillations of the species densities are strictly related to non-overlapping spatial patterns.     

Reaction rate theory for supramolecular kinetics: application to protein aggregation

ABSTRACT

Probing reaction mechanisms of supramolecular processes in soft and biological matter, such as protein aggregation, is inherently challenging. This is because these processes involve multiple molecular mechanisms that are associated with the rearrangement of large numbers of weak bonds, resulting in complex free energy landscapes with many kinetic barriers. Reaction rate measurements at different temperatures can offer unprecedented insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms. However, to be able to interpret such measurements, a key challenge is to establish which properties of the complex free energy landscapes are probed by the reaction rate. Here, we present a reaction rate theory for supramolecular kinetics based on Kramers theory of diffusive reactions over multiple kinetic barriers. We find that reaction rates for protein aggregation are of the Arrhenius–Eyring type and that the associated activation energies probe only one relevant barrier along the respective free energy landscapes. We apply this advancement to interpret, in experiments and in coarse-grained computer simulations, reaction rates of amyloid aggregation in terms of molecular mechanisms and associated thermodynamic signatures. These results suggest a practical extension of the concept of rate-determining steps for complex supramolecular processes and establish a general platform for probing the underlying energy landscape using kinetic measurements.     

Structure and magnetostriction of Tb0.4Nd0.6(Fe0.8Co0.2) x alloys

Structural, magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of Tb_0.4Nd_0.6(Fe_0.8Co_0.2) _x (1.50 ≤ x ≤ 1.90) alloys have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), a vibrating sample magnetometer and a standard strain technique. XRD analysis shows the presence of single Laves phase with a cubic MgCu₂-type structure for the high Nd content alloy around the composition of x = 1.80, which tends to be formed by curing at relatively low annealing temperature. The easy direction of magnetization at room temperature is observed toward <111> axis, accompanied by a rhombohedral distortion with a large spontaneous magnetostriction λ₁₁₁. An optimized effect on the linear anisotropic magnetostriction, 360 ppm at 3 kOe, was observed for the high Nd content Tb_0.4Nd_0.6(Fe_0.8Co_0.2)_1.80 alloy, which can be attributed to its single Laves phase, the large λ₁₁₁ (~1,520 ppm) of the MgCu₂-type (Tb,Nd)(Fe,Co)₂ phase and the good soft magnetic behaviors.     

Investigation of the properties of nuclei with extreme neutron excess in the vicinity of neutron magic numbers

Properties of even-even nuclei with extreme neutron excess in the vicinity of neutron magic numbers up to and beyond the neutron drip line (NDL) are calculated by the Hartree-Fock (HF) method using Skyrme forces (Ska, SkM*, Sly4, SkI2, SkP) with allowance for axial deformation and BCS-approximation pairing. It is shown that chains of isotones with the neutron numbers N = 32, 58, 82, 126, 184, and 258 beyond the NDL form peninsulas of nuclei stable with respect to emission of one neutron, and occasionally peninsulas of nuclei stable with respect to the emission of two neutrons. The length of these peninsulas in (N, Z) space depends on the choice of the Skyrme forces, while their locations are at the same N = 32, 58, 82, 126, 184, and 258 and do not depend on the choice of forces. The investigated isotones restore stability beyond the NDL due to the complete filling of subshells with high angular momentum and to the intrusion of corresponding neutron levels in the region of discrete bound states. The stability of the numerical solution to the HF equations for nuclei belonging to the peninsulas of stability is analyzed.     

Potential of a piezoelectric energy harvester from sea waves

A sea wave energy harvester from the longitudinal wave motion of water particles is developed. The harvester consisting of a cantilever substrate attached by piezoelectric patches and a proof mass is used to collect electrical energy owing to the electromechanical coupling effect of the piezoelectric patches from the longitudinal wave motion. To describe the energy harvesting process, a mathematical model is developed to calculate the output charge and voltage from the piezoelectric patches according to the Airy linear wave theory and classical elastic beam model. Results show that the mean value of the generated power increases with the increase in the ratio of the width to the thickness of the cantilever, the wave height, the sea depth (which equals to the cantilever height in this study), the ratio of the proof mass to the cantilever mass, and the ratio of the sea depth to the wave length. A value of the power up to 55 W can be realized for a practical sea wave with the values of the sea depth, wave height and wave length to be 3 m, 2 m, and 15 m, respectively. The collected power harvesting with respect to different categories of the sea waves are provided. Our simulations also show the generated electric power can be further increased by an increase in dimensions of the harvester considering the scale effect. This research develops a new technique for energy harvesting from sea waves by piezoelectric energy harvesters.     

Magnetic scattering of spin polarized carriers in (In, Mn)Sb dilute magnetic semiconductor

Magnetoresistance measurements on the magnetic semiconductor (In, Mn)Sb suggest that magnetic scattering in this material is dominated by isolated Mn2+ ions located outside the ferromagnetically ordered regions when the system is below T(c). A model is proposed, based on the p-d exchange between spin-polarized charge carriers and localized Mn2+ ions, which accounts for the observed behavior both below and above the ferromagnetic phase transition. The suggested picture is further verified by high-pressure experiments, in which the degree of magnetic interaction can be varied in a controlled way.     

Localization-dependent photoluminescence spectrum of biexcitons in semiconductor quantum wires

We study exciton and biexciton spectra in disordered semiconductor quantum wires by means of nanophotoluminescence spectroscopy. We demonstrate a close link between the exciton localization length along the wire and the occurrence of a biexciton spectral line. The biexciton signature appears only if the corresponding exciton state extends over more than a few tens of nanometers. We also measure a nonmonotonous variation of the biexciton binding energy with decreasing exciton localization length. This behavior is quantitatively well reproduced by the solution of the single-band Schr?dinger equation of the four-particle problem in a one-dimensional confining potential.