Spin and statistics of solitons andJ-Homomorphism

The deep connection between the spin and statistics of solitons and homotopy groups is clarified by usingJ-Homomorphism.     

Discrete flavor symmetries and a formula for the cabibbo angle

A discrete flavor symmetry is proposed which leads to the relation tan²θ_c = m_d/m_s. The symmetry may be implemented in weak interaction models where the breakdown of parity is spontaneous.     

High-resolution apertureless near-field optical imaging using gold nanosphere probes

An apertureless near-field scanning optical microscope (ANSOM) that utilizes the enhanced field around a gold nanosphere, which is attached to the end of an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, is used to image the local dielectric constant of the patterned metallic surfaces and local electric field around plasmonic nanosphere samples. A colloidal gold nanosphere (approximately 50 nm diameter) is linked to the extremity of the conventional etched-silicon probe. The scattering of laser radiation (633 or 532 nm) is modulated by the oscillating nanosphere-functionalized silicon tip, and the scattered radiation is detected. The approach curve (scattering intensity as a function of the tip-sample distance), the polarization dependence (scattering intensity as a function of the excitation polarization direction), and ANSOM image contrast confirm that the spherical nanosphere attached to the silicon tip acts as a point dipole that interacts with the sample surface via a dipole-dipole coupling, in which the dipole created by the field at the tip interacts with its own image dipole in the sample. The image obtained with the nanoparticle functionalized tip provides a dielectric map of the sample surface with a spatial resolution better than 80 nm. In addition, we show that the functionalized tip is capable of imaging the local electric field distribution above the plasmonic nanosphere samples. Overall, the result shows that high-resolution ANSOM is possible without the aid of the lightning-rod effect. With an improved tip-fabrication method, we believe that the method can provide a versatile high-resolution chemical imaging that is not available from usual forms of ANSOM.     

Off-critical Casimir effect in Ising slabs with symmetric boundary conditions in d=3

Extended de Gennes-Fisher (EdGF) local-functional method has been applied to the thermodynamic Casimir effect away from the critical point for systems in the Ising universality class confined between parallel plane plates with symmetric boundary conditions [denoted (ab)=(++)]. Results on the universal scaling functions of the Casimir force W++(y) (y is a temperature-dependent scaling variable) and Gibbs adsorption G[over ](y) are presented in spatial dimension d=3. Also, the mean-field form of the universal scaling function of the Gibbs adsorption G[over ](y) is derived within the local functional theory. Asymptotic behavior of W++(y) for large values of the scaling variable y is analyzed in general dimension d.     

Poissonian Behavior of Ising Spin Systems in an External Field

We apply the Stein–Chen method for Poisson approximation to spin-half Ising-type models in positive external field which satisfy the FKG inequality. In particular, we show that, provided the density of minus spins is low and can be expanded as a convergent power series in the activity (fugacity) variable, the distribution of minus spins is approximately Poisson. The error of the approximation is inversely proportional to the number of lattice sites (we obtain upper and lower bounds on the total variation distance between the exact distribution and its Poisson approximation). We illustrate these results by application to specific models, including the mean-field and nearest neighbor ferromagnetic Ising models.     

Dispersion polymerization of styrene in alcohol media: Effect of initiator concentration,solvent polarity,and temperature on the rate of polymerization

The effects of three different variables (initiator concentration, polarity of the solvent and reaction temperature) on the rate of dispersion polymerization of styrene in alcohols have been investigated. It was found that the rate of polymerization increases with the initiator (AIBN) concentration at the 0% conversion level and becomes independent of it at higher monomer conversions. More significant was the result that the rate was also found to increase with solvent polarity. This is consistent with thermodynamic equilibrium calculations which account for the partitioning behavior of monomer and solvent in both the solution and the particle phases. The results further suggest the existence of two different kinetic regions: one at low conversions, where the reaction takes place primarily in the solution phase, and one at high conversions, where the reaction takes place primarily in the particle phase. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2907–2915, 1997     

Galactic neutrino communication

We examine the possibility to employ neutrinos to communicate within the galaxy. We discuss various issues associated with transmission and reception, and suggest that the resonant neutrino energy near 6.3 PeV may be most appropriate. In one scheme we propose to make Zo$Z^o$ particles in an overtaking e⁺−e⁻$e^{+}-e^{-}$ collider such that the resulting decay neutrinos are near the W⁻$W^{-}$ resonance on electrons in the laboratory. Information is encoded via time structure of the beam. In another scheme we propose to use a 30 PeV pion accelerator to create neutrino or anti-neutrino beams. The latter encodes information via the beam CP state as well as timing. Moreover the latter beam requires far less power, and can be accomplished with presently foreseeable technology. Such signals from an advanced civilization, should they exist, will be eminently detectable in existing neutrino detectors.     

Chemical and mechanical stability of EPDM in a PEM fuel cell environment

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack requires elastomeric gaskets in each cell to keep the reactant gases within their respective regions. Long-term durability of the fuel cell stacks depends heavily on the functionality of the elastomeric gasket material. Chemical and mechanical stability of the elastomeric material is of great concern to the overall performance of the fuel cell stacks. The degradation of a commercially available gasket material, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM), was investigated in a simulated PEM fuel cell environment in this work. One solution and two temperatures, based on actual fuel cell operation, were used in this study. Optical microscopy was used to show the topographical changes on the sample surface. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to study the surface chemistry of the gasket material before and after exposure to the simulated PEM fuel cell environment over time. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to identify the leachants in the soaking solution from the elastomeric material. Microindentation test and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were conducted to assess the change of mechanical properties of the samples exposed to the environment. The atomic absorption spectrometer analysis shows that silicon and calcium were leached from the material into the soaking solution. The ATR-FTIR results indicate that the chemical changes were not apparent. The microindentation test and DMA results reveal that mechanical properties were not changed significantly.