Euler characteristic and related measures for random geometric sets

By an elementary calculation we obtain the exact mean values of Minkowksi functionals for a standard model of percolating sets. In particular, a recurrence theorem for the mean Euler characteristic recently put forward is shown to be incorrect. Related previous mathematical work is mentioned. We also conjecture bounds for the threshold density of continuum percolation, which are associated with the Euler characteristic.     

Dynamic polarization of lipid bilayers as a special case in the electrochemistry of liquid/liquid interfaces

Dynamically obtained current/voltage curves of bilayer lipid membranes partitioning a solution of lipophilic ions are compared with the results of the type expected in a voltammetry experiment involving ionic transport across a liquid/liquid interface. Lipophilic ions yielding “voltammograms” analogous to reversible and irreversible voltammograms (in conventional electrochemical systems) are reported. Also reported are examples of ions which yield what may be analogous to a masked response, a phenomenon known in the literature of liquid/liquid interfaces. Although the behavior of the two systems is similar, there exist differences in the interpretation of the voltammograms and suggestions are offered for an energetic and mechanistic interpretation of the membrane voltammogram.     

Supersymmetry of FRW Barotropic Cosmologies

Barotropic FRW cosmologies are presented from the standpoint of nonrelativistic supersymmetry. First, we reduce the barotropic FRW system of differential equations to simple harmonic oscillator differential equations. Employing the factorization procedure, the solutions of the latter equations are divided into the two classes of bosonic (nonsingular) and fermionic (singular) cosmological solutions. We next introduce a coupling parameter denoted by K between the two classes of solutions and obtain barotropic cosmologies with dissipative features acting on the scale factors and spatial curvature of the universe. The K-extended FRW equations in comoving time are presented in explicit form in the low coupling regime. The standard barotropic FRW cosmologies correspond to the dissipationless limit K = 0.     

Temperature dependence of interband transition energy in InGaAsN strain-compensated quantum-well and ridge-waveguide lasers fabricated with pulsed anodic oxidation

Ridge-waveguide InGaAsN triple-quantum-well strain-compensated lasers grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition were fabricated with pulsed anodic oxidation. The laser’s output power reached 145 mW in continuous-wave mode at room temperature for a 4-?m -stripe-width laser. Continuous-wave single longitudinal mode operation was maintained at a high injection current level with a wavelength of 1287.3 nm at room temperature. Single longitudinal mode operation at 1317.2 nm was achieved at twice the threshold current at 100 °C. The band gap of InGaAsN in the quantum wells at different temperatures was calculated and compared to the measured temperature-dependent laser wavelength.     

La5Al3Ni2 – an Intermetallic Phase Observed upon Crystallization of La50Al25Ni25 Metallic Glass

The yet unknown intermetallic phase La₅Al₃Ni₂ was obtained by partially crystallizing amorphous La₅₀Al₂₅Ni₂₅ at 550 K (further heating above 600 K leads to irreversible disappearance of this phase), and its crystal structure was determined from X‐ray powder diffraction data. The crystal structure of the La₅Al₃Ni₂ phase constitutes a new structure type (Cmcm, a = 14.231Å, b = 6.914Å, c = 10.460Å, oC40) and is built from [Al₃Ni₂] chains surrounded by La atoms. In the ternary system La‐Al‐Ni La₅Al₃Ni₂ is located on the section La₅₀Al_50−nNi_n (0 ≤ n ≤ 50) with the binary compounds LaAl and LaNi as end members. Strikingly, also the crystal structures of the end members can be conceived as chain structures with Al and Ni chains surrounded by La, respectively.     

200 femtosecond impulse response of a Fabry–Pérot etalon with the spectral ballistic imaging technique

We use the spectral ballistic imaging technique to measure the impulse response of a Fabry–Pérot etalon with less than 0.2 ps temporal resolution. The results show excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions and negligible noise. Comparison to the Kramers–Kronig method along with its limitations is also presented. PACS 42.65.Re; 07.60.Ly; 42.30.Kq     

An improved, free surface, topographic technique

Current techniques of water wave visualization such as shadowgraphy and stereo photography are widely used but are deficient in many aspects. Refraction based visualization observes the bending of light as it traverses across a liquid-air interface. This work describes the continued development of techniques to measure the surface height of a liquid free surface. The method, Reference Image Topography, utilizes refraction of light at the free surface as a function of the local angle of that surface. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) software is used to evaluate apparent dislocations of the target image viewed through the free surface, which are approximately proportional to the surface angle. High-resolution images are presented of the dynamic surface topography for a point source and the shallow water flow around a vertical cylinder.