Triggering and guiding of an upward positive leader from a ground rod with an ultrashort laser pulse. I. Experimental results

Using a plasma channel produced by an ultrashort laser pulse, we have studied the laser triggering and guiding of a positive leader from the tip of a 2-m vertical rod standing on the bottom plane of a 7-m plane-plane gap. The purpose of this setup was to reproduce in the laboratory the electric field conditions leading to the onset of a positive upward leader from a ground rod as a downward negative leader is approaching during a thunderstorm, in order to demonstrate the working principle of a possible future laser lightning rod. The leader triggering properties of the laser-created plasma channel have been studied as a function of the synchronization of the laser pulse with the voltage impulse applied to the gap. We show that the laser pulse reduces the inception voltage of the leader compared to its normal value and that the laser plasma channel guides the propagation of the upward leader at a velocity ten times higher than that of an ordinary leader, with a significantly lower charge per unit length. We show that laser guiding of the leader significantly reduces the breakdown voltage of the gap and that the effect of the laser channel at the end of a lightning rod can be compared quite favorably with the effect of an additional metal rod of the same length.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Roles of interfaces in nanostructured silicon luminescence

The increasing interest in photonics in the field of communication has led to intense research work on silicon based nanostructures showing efficient photoluminescence. The present paper reports photoluminescence measurements obtained at room temperature in silicon-rich-silica-silica multilayers grown by reactive magnetron sputtering. The silicon nanograin size is controlled via the silicon layer thickness which can be monitored with high accuracy. We aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the combined roles played by the quantum confinement effect through the silicon grain size and the existence of an interfacial region between the grain and the surrounding silica matrix. Two bands of photoluminescence are displayed in the 600 nm-900 nm range and correspond to the bands previously observed at 2 K. Their origin is demonstrated through a model based on the solution of the Schrödinger equation of the exciton wavefunction in a one-dimension geometry corresponding to the growth direction of the multilayers. The silicon layer as well as the Si-SiO₂ interface thicknesses are the key parameters of the photoluminescence features.Received: 6 April 2004, Published online: 21 October 2004PACS: 78.67.-n Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures - 73.21.Ac Multilayers - 71.23.An Theories and models; localized states     

Application of prompt gamma neutron activation analysis in the aluminium industry of Egypt

Prompt gamma-ray energy spectrum following the capture of thermal neutrons by the atomic nuclei in an alumina ore sample was measured using a HPGe detector in a borehole environment. Based on the in formation obtained from the spectrum and nuclear data the nuclear ratio that compares the content of an unknown element with an estimate of aluminium in the ore can be determined. The work aimed to explore the applicability of this technique for quality control measurements in the aluminium industry of Egypt.     

Design and synthesis of some new thiophene and 1,3,4-thiadiazole based heterocycles

Abstract

The reaction of 3-oxopropanenitriles with phenyl isothiocyanate in DMF containing KOH afforded the corresponding potassium salts. The latter salts were converted into ketene N,S-acetals upon acidification with hydrogen chloride. The reaction of the ketene N,S-acetals with 2-bromo-1-[5-methyl-1-(p-tolyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]ethan-1-one or 3-(2-bromoacetyl)-2H-chromen-2-one gave novel thiophenes in good yields. Treatment of the ketene N,S-acetals with hydrazonyl halides afforded 1,3,4-thiadiazoles in good yields. The stereochemistry of the synthesized compounds was studied.     

On gauging and control of grainy materials by gamma-ray absorptiometry in hydraulic transport of solids in pipes

Grain-size effects on γ-ray absorptiometry in non-destructive assay of rainy solid materials with uniform grain radii are widely investigated. In many applications the grain radii are not uniform, but follow more or less a distribution function. The present work offers a Monte Carlo model for γ-ray attenuation in materials with grain-size distributions. Suitable correction functions for grain-size effects have been derived. A comparison between the Monte Carlo results and those from analytical calculations shows a good agreement when the grain sizes are uniform, but a disagreement appears when grain sizes are statistically distributed. This disagreement between the two results may be due to the several approximations introduced in the analytical calculations.