A SAXS study of the nanostructural characteristics of TEOS-derived sonogels upon heat treatment up to 1100 °C

Xerogels obtained from the acid-catalyzed and ultrasound stimulated hydrolysis of TEOS were submitted to heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 60 to 1100 °C and studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS intensity as a function of the modulus of the scattering vector q was obtained in the range from q₀=0.19 to q_m=4.4 nm⁻¹. At 60 °C the xerogels exhibit an apparent surface fractal structure with a fractal dimension D_S∼2.5 in a length scale ranging from 1/q₁∼1 to 1/q_m∼0.22 nm. This structure becomes extremely rough at 120 °C (D_S∼3) and at 150 °C, it apparently converts to a mass fractal with a fractal dimension D∼2.4. This may mean an emptying of the pores with preservation of a share of the original mass fractal structure of the wet aged gel, for it had presented a mass fractal dimension D∼2.2. A well characterized porous structure formed by 2.0 nm mean size pores with smooth surface of about 380 m²/g is formed at 300 °C and remains stable until approximately 800 °C. At 900 °C the SAXS intensity vanishes indicating the disappearance of the pores in the probed length scale. The elimination of the nanopores occurs by a mechanism in which the number of pores diminishes keeping constant their mean size. The xerogels exhibit a foaming phenomenon above 900 °C and scatter following Porod's law as does a surface formed by a coarse structure.     

Effect of the Arsenic Concentration on the Characteristics of the Growth Step Echelon in GaAs Epitaxy

The effect of the arsenic concentration in the vapor phase on the growth step distribution over the surface of GaAs epitaxial layers grown in a chlorine-hydride vapor-transport system on substrates with 4° (111)A and (113)A orientations is studied. It is demonstrated that the average distance between steps in the echelon depends on the arsenic concentration and increases with it up to a certain constant value. It is assumed that this is connected with the change in the kink density at the steps.     

Nonlinear vibrations of a charged drop due to the initial excitation of neighboring modes

The asymptotic analysis of the nonlinear vibrations of a charged drop that are induced by a multi-mode initial deformation of its equilibrium shape is performed. It is shown that when two, three, or several neighboring modes are present in the initial deformation spectrum, the mode with the number one (translational mode) appears in the second-order mode spectrum. The excitation of the translational mode follows from the requirement of center-of-mass immobility and causes the dipole components (which are absent in the linear analysis) to appear in the spectra of the acoustic and electromagnetic radiation of the charged drop.     

Multi-layer structure in the strongly coupled 5D abelian Higgs model

We explore the phase diagram of the five-dimensional anisotropic Abelian Higgs model by Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, we study the transition between the confining phase and the four-dimensional layered Higgs phase. We find that, in a certain region of the lattice parameter space, this transition can be first order, and that each layer moves into the Higgs phase independently of the others (decoupling of layers). As the Higgs couplings vary, we find, using mean field techniques, that this transition may probably become second order. Received: 21 December 2001 / Published online: 12 April 2002     

Entangled state generation and modulation of vacuum squeezing by classical optical fields in birefringent fiber

Evolution of the vacuum fluctuations in the two-wave mixing of the optical fields propagating in a birefringent fiber is studied. The two-wave mixing in the birefringent fiber was suggested as a possible scheme for the entangled-state generation. Our treatment in studying the entangled-state generation uses depleted pump approximation and enables one to trace the influence of the input conditions of classical optical fields on the evolution of vacuum squeezing. We report the periodical modulation of the vacuum squeezing when the input relative phase of coherent waves varies. The measure of nonclassical correlations imposed on the generated light is calculated.     

A NEW METHOD FOR SEPARATING LONGITUDINAL WAVES IN A LARGE DIAMETER HOPKINSON BAR

This paper outlines various methods for separating fundamental longitudinal waves propagating along a Hopkinson pressure bar. Advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are presented and discussed in detail. A new method is then proposed for separating the fundamental waves in the frequency domain. This new method is based on the assumption that wave propagation can be adequately described by the first mode of the Pochhammer-Chree theory. The method requires two-point strain gauge measurements on the pressure bar. Fourier components of the positive wave at one gauge location are determined either from the corresponding Fourier components of the measured strain histories or from their derivatives. The method also makes use of the derivative of the wave number with respect to the circular frequency of the pressure bar. Important points of the implementation of the technique are described. Numerical accuracy of the proposed method is verified by considering a simple example with analytical solution and by comparing measured data derived from a large diameter Hopkinson pressure bar. The proposed method will find application in dynamic material tests using the split Hopkinson pressure bar technique.     

Simulation of time-resolved vibronic spectra and the possibility of analyzing molecules with similar spectral properties

The possibility of using time-resolved vibronic spectroscopy for spectral analysis of mixtures of chemical compounds with similar optical properties, when traditional methods (based on stedy-state spectra) are inefficient, is demonstrated by using the method of computer simulation. The analysis is carried out by the example of molecules of a series of polyenes (butadiene, hexadiene, octatetraene, decapentaene, and decatetraene), their various cis-and trans-rotational isomers, and phenyl-substituted polyenes. Ranges of relative concentrations of molecules similar in their spectral properties, where reliable interpretation of time-resolved spectra of mixtures and both qualitative and quantitative analyses are possible, are determined. The use of computer simulation methods for optimizing full-scale experiments in femtosecond spectroscopy is shown to hold much promise.     

Diffraction of Elastic Waves from a Cylindrical Infinite Cavity with Circular Cross Section Filled by a Liquid

Based on the equations of elasticity theory and hydroacoustics, we calculated the field structures arising when a plane wave is incident on an infinite cylindrical cavity with circular cross section filled by a liquid. The variable pressure component on the cavity axis for longitudinal and shear incident waves is determined.