Conductance peaks in open quantum dots

We present a simple measure of the conductance fluctuations in open ballistic chaotic quantum dots, extending the number of maxima method originally proposed for the statistical analysis of compound nuclear reactions. The average number of extreme points (maxima and minima) in the dimensionless conductance T as a function of an arbitrary external parameter Z is directly related to the autocorrelation function of T(Z). The parameter Z can be associated with an applied gate voltage causing shape deformation in quantum dot, an external magnetic field, the Fermi energy, etc. The average density of maxima is found to be <ρ(Z)>=α(Z)/Z(c), where α(Z) is a universal constant and Z(c) is the conductance autocorrelation length, which is system specific. The analysis of <ρ(Z)> does not require large statistic samples, providing a quite amenable way to access information about parametric correlations, such as Z(c).     

Ultrathin silver‐coated gold nanoparticles as suitable substrate for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an extremely powerful tool for the analysis of the composition of bimetallic nanoparticle (BNP) surfaces because of the different adsorption schemes adopted by several molecules on different metals, such as Au and Ag. The preparation of BNPs normally implies a change in the plasmonic properties of the core metal. However, for technological applications it could be interesting to synthesize core–shell structures preserving these original plasmonic properties. In this work, we present a facile method for coating colloidal gold nanoparticles (NPs) in solution with a very thin shell of silver. The resulting bimetallic Au@Ag system maintains the optical properties of gold but shows the chemical surface affinity of silver. The effectiveness of the coating method, as well as the progressive silver enrichment of the outermost part of the Au NPs, has been monitored through the SERS spectra of several species (chloride, luteolin, thiophenol and lucigenin), which show different behaviors on gold and silver surfaces. A growth mechanism of the Ag shell is proposed on the basis of the spectroscopic and microscopic data consisting in the formation and deposit of Ag clusters on the Au NP surface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lineshape analysis of stimulated Raman spectra of the near‐nozzle region of free jet expansions

An anomalous lineshape of stimulated Raman spectra obtained from the region very close to the nozzle of supersonic pulsed expansions of nitrogen is presented. High‐resolution Raman spectra of the Q branch of the fundamental vibration mode of N₂ have been recorded from two different nitrogen expansions at T₀ = 295 K and P₀ = 1.5–3.5 bar, the lasers crossing the jet axis in the range z/D = 0.25–1.25, where D is the effective nozzle diameter. The combination of Doppler shifts and strong gradients of density and temperature in the near‐nozzle region yield an inhomogeneous broadening and a double peak structure of the recorded Raman line profiles. The comparison of the experimental results with the simulation of the Raman spectrum from this region provides valuable information about the near‐nozzle flow field. The lineshape described here is different from another reported previously in the literature, which is based on a depletion of the density of free molecules on the axis due to condensation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The algebraic Bethe ansatz for rational braid-monoid lattice models

In this paper we study isotropic integrable systems based on the braid-monoid algebra. These systems constitute a large family of rational multistate vertex models and are realized in terms of the B_n, C_nand D_n Lie algebra and by the superalgebra Osp(n||2m). We present a unified formulation of the quantum inverse scattering method for many of these lattice models. The appropriate fundamental commutation rules are found, allowing us to construct the eigenvectors and the eigenvaluesof the transfer matrix associated to the B_n, C_n, D_n, Osp(2nt-1||2), Osp(2||2nt-2), Osp(2nt-2||2) and Osp(1||2n) models. The corresponding Bethe ansatz equations can be formulated in terms of the root structure of the underlying algebra.     

A theoretical overview of hypernuclear weak decay

The physics of the weak decay of hypernuclei is briefly reviewed from a theoretical point of view. Special regard is devoted to the recent progress concerning the determination of the non-mesonic decay widths and the asymmetry parameters. Convincing evidence has been achieved for a solution of the long-standing puzzle on the ratio Γ_n/Γ_p. Very recently, it has been shown that the exchange of a ππ pair in the weak mechanism plays a crucial role in explaining the discrepancies between theory and experiment on the decay asymmetries.     

A one-parameter family of hamiltonian structures for the KP hierarchy and a continuous deformation of the nonlinear WKP algebra

The KP hierarchy is hamiltonian relative to a one-parameter family of Poisson structures obtained from a generalized Adler map in the space of formal pseudodifferential symbols with noninteger powers. The resulting W-algebra is a one-parameter deformation of W_KP admitting a central extension for generic values of the parameter, reducing naturally to W _n for special values of the parameter, and contracting to the centrally extended W₁₊, W and further truncations. In the classical limit, all algebras in the one-parameter family are equivalent and isomorphic tow _KP. The reduction induced by setting the spin-one field to zero yields a one-parameter deformation of which contracts to a new nonlinear algebra of the W-type.Address after October 1993: Queen Mary and Westfield College, UK     

Controlling chaos in a satellite power supply subsystem

In this work, we show that chaos control techniques can be used to increase the region that can be efficiently used to supply the power requests for an artificial satellite. The core of a satellite power subsystem relies on its DC/DC converter. This is a very nonlinear system that presents a multitude of phenomena ranging from bifurcations, quasi-periodicity, chaos, coexistence of attractors, among others. The traditional power subsystem design techniques try to avoid these nonlinear phenomena so that it is possible to use linear system theory in small regions about the equilibrium points. Here, we show that chaos control can be used to efficiently extend the applicability region of the satellite power subsystem when it operates in regions of high nonlinearity.     

Dynamics of Robertson–Walker spacetimes with diffusion

We study the dynamics of spatially homogeneous and isotropic spacetimes containing a fluid undergoing microscopic velocity diffusion in a cosmological scalar field. After deriving a few exact solutions of the equations, we continue by analyzing the qualitative behavior of general solutions. To this purpose we recast the equations in the form of a two dimensional dynamical system and perform a global analysis of the flow. Among the admissible behaviors, we find solutions that are asymptotically de-Sitter both in the past and future time directions and which undergo accelerated expansion at all times.     

Monte Carlo simulation of ion–material interactions in nuclear fusion devices

One of the key aspects regarding the technological development of nuclear fusion reactors is the understanding of the interaction between high-energy ions coming from the confined plasma and the materials that the plasma-facing components are made of. Among the multiple issues important to plasma–wall interactions in fusion devices, physical erosion and composition changes induced by energetic particle bombardment are considered critical due to possible material flaking, changes to surface roughness, impurity transport and the alteration of physicochemical properties of the near surface region due to phenomena such as redeposition or implantation. A Monte Carlo code named MATILDA (Modeling of Atomic Transport in Layered Dynamic Arrays) has been developed over the years to study phenomena related to ion beam bombardment such as erosion rate, composition changes, interphase mixing and material redeposition, which are relevant issues to plasma-aided manufacturing of microelectronics, components on object exposed to intense solar wind, fusion reactor technology and other important industrial fields. In the present work, the code is applied to study three cases of plasma material interactions relevant to fusion devices in order to highlight the code’s capabilities: (1) the Be redeposition process on the ITER divertor, (2) physical erosion enhancement in castellated surfaces and (3) damage to multilayer mirrors used on EUV diagnostics in fusion devices due to particle bombardment.