High-power source of coherent picosecond light pulses tunable from 0.41 to 12.9 μm

We report a high-power source of coherent picosecond light pulses based on optical parametric generation and amplification in LiB₃O₅ and AgGaS₂ crystals. The spectral range of this continuously tunable source covers the visible, near-infrared and medium-infrared spectrum from 0.41 to 12.9 m. An optical parametric generator and amplifier, consisting of two type-I phase-matched LiB₃O₅ crystals and a diffraction grating, is pumped by the third harmonic of a picosecond Nd:YAG laser and provides spectrally narrow, high-power pulses from 0.41 to 2.4 m. Energy conversion efficiencies up to 16 percent are achieved. The pulse duration is about 14 ps, the bandwidth between 10 and 30 cm^–1. The tuning range is extended to 12.9 m by mixing the infrared output between 1.16 and 2.13 m with the fundamental of the Nd:YAG laser in type-I-phase-matched AgGaS₂ crystals. Up to 25 percent of the pulse energy at 1.064 m is converted into parametric infrared pulses. Bandwidths between 3 and 8 cm^–1 and a pulse duration of approximately 19 ps are measured for these pulses. We also observe a retracing behaviour in the tuning curve of AgGaS₂ not reported before.     

Investigations of correlated ρ+ e− emission in heavy-ion collisions near the Coulomb barrier

We present the results obtained from a series of ^+–-coincidence measurements in heavy-ion collisions using the double-Orange-spectrometer at GSI. The collision systems U+U, U+Pb, and U+Ta were investigated at bombarding energies close to and slightly above (U+Ta) the Coulomb barrier. For all systems studied, very narrow (FWHM–20 keV) ^+– lines were observed in the sum-energy spectra, with kinetic energies ranging from 555 keV to 810 keV, superimposed on a continuous distribution mainly due to uncorrelated ^+– emission. Particularly in the U+Ta system, a pronounced sum-energy line appears at 634 keV, predominantly in deep-inelastic collisions. In some cases (e.g. U+Pb) the line characteristics is consistent with a two-body decay mode of an emitter which moves with the c.m. velocity of the colliding ions. However, other lines, and in particular the 634 keV line (U+Ta), exhibit a rather isotropical opening-angle distribution whereas their energy is unequally shared between positrons and electrons, thus being in clear disagreement with this scenario. In general, the data preclude an emission from the separated (moving) nuclei, and, in the latter cases, provide evidence that the e⁺e^–-pair decay occurs in the vicinity of the Coulomb field of a third heavy (positively charged) partner having only a small transverse velocity (|v|<>Dedicated to Prof. B. Povh on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Octet-baryon form factors in the diquark model

We present an alternative parameterization of the quark-diquark model of baryons which particularly takes care of the most recent proton electric form-factor data from the E136 experiment at SLAC. In addition to electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon, for which good agreement with data is achieved, we discuss the weak axial vector form factor of the nucleon as well as electromagnetic form factors of and hyperons. Technical advance in calculating the pertinent analytic expressions within perturbative quantum chromodynamics is gained by formulating the wave function of the quark-diquark system in a covariant way. Finally, we also comment on the influence of Sudakov corrections within the scope of the diquark model.Sponsored in part by the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, Germany, under contract number 06 Wu 737     

Thermal diffusivity measurements of natural and isotopically enriched diamond by picosecond infrared transient grating experiments

The photopyroelectric (PPE) technique is used to measure the specific heat of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–X thin films. Hysteresis in the PPE amplitude is observed in the temperature range 90 K to 250 K. Peaks in the inverse PPE amplitude at T=110 K in the cooling path and at T230 K in the heating path are observed. The magnitude of hysteresis depends upon the thermal history of the sample.     

Depth-profiling of organic layers on microparticles with SNMS

Summary Previous work on the quantification and localization of organically bound elements with plasma-based SNMS for the characterization of microparticles has been continued. Relative detection factors for 10 elements have been determined. Except for lead and bromine a principle proportionality to atomic ionization probabilities is shown. A moderate matrix dependence of less than 40% variation was found even when inorganic and organic materials are included. For depth calibration, erosion rates of organic materials were determined from the time interval necessary to sputter through planar single-layers and Langmuir-Blodgett multi-layer systems with known thickness, as well as from gravimetric powder measurements. Depth propagation rates were 0.7 nm·sec^–1 for polymers and 2.3 nm·sec^–1 for aromatic compounds, when 400 eV argon ion bombardment with 0.7 mA·cm^–2 was used. A depth resolution of 30 nm has been obtained. Model particles of 5 m size have been coated with fluoranthene. Inspection with SNMS revealed an incomplete coating covering only 20% of the microparticle surface with an average thickness of the partial coating of 300 nm. Subsequent characterization using laser-induced fluorimetry confirmed the amount of fluoranthene coating measured by SNMS.     

On two methods of determining the ellipses and ellipsoids of positioning accuracy of robot manipulators

Summary When analysing the problem of the positioning accuracy of robot manipulators it is important to know how far random deviations of the hand may be from the desired position if the joint positioning errors possess a normal distribution. Two methods of determining the ellipses and ellipsoids of probability concentration are compared. The first of them is based on the standard procedure of the probability calculus. The second approximate method consists in finding at first the polygon or polyhedron of the positioning accuracy, and then in finding the ellipse or ellipsoid with principal axes and second order moments coinciding with those of the polygon or polyhedron, respectively. Examples of application demonstrate that these two methods give very close results.

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Zwei Methoden zur Bestimmung der Ellipsen und Ellipsoide der Positioniergenauigkeit von Handhabungsrobotern

Übersicht Bei der Untersuchung der Positioniergenauigkeit von Handhabungsrobotern ist es wichtig, die Größe zufälliger Abweichungen des Greifers von der erstrebten Position zu kennen, wenn die Lagefehler der Verbindungen eine Normalverteilung besitzen. Es werden zwei Methoden zur Bestimmung der Ellipsen bzw. Ellipsoide der Wahrscheinlichkeitsdichte verglichen. Die erste beruht auf dem Standardverfahren der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung. Die zweite Näherungsmethode besteht darin, daß zunächst das Polygon bzw. Polyeder der Positioniergenauigkeit bestimmt wird und danach die Ellipse bzw. das Ellipsoid mit den Hauptachsen und Momenten zweiter Ordnung wie das Polygon oder Polyeder. Beispiele zeigen, daß beide Methoden zu sehr ähnlichen Ergebnissen führen.

     

A characterization of discrete unimodality with applications to variance upper bounds

Bertin and Theodorescu (1984,Statist. Probab. Lett.,2, 23–30) developed a characterization of discrete unimodality based on convexity properties of a discretization of distribution functions. We offer a new characterization of discrete unimodality based on convexity properties of a piecewise linear extension of distribution functions. This reliance on functional convexity, as in Khintchine's classic definition, leads to variance dilations and upper bounds on variance for a large class of discrete unimodal distributions. These bounds are compared to existing inequalities due to Muilwijk (1966,Sankhy, Ser. B,28, p. 183), Moors and Muilwijk (1971,Sankhy, Ser. B,33, 385–388), and Rayner (1975,Sankhy, Ser. B,37, 135–138), and are found to be generally tighter, thus illustrating the power of unimodality assumptions.     

On the construction and calculation of optimal nonlifting critical airfoils

Numerical calculations are carried out in the hodograph plane to construct optimal critical airfoil shapes and the flow about them. These optimal airfoil shapes give the highest free-stream Mach numberM for a given thickness ratio and tail angle _t (nonlifting) for which the flow is nowhere supersonic. A relationship betweenM and for various _t is given. Analytical and numerical solutions to the same problem are found on the basis of transonic small-disturbance theory. These results provide a limiting case asM 1, 0 and agree well with the calculations of the full problem. Using a numerical method to calculate the flow about general (subsonic) airfoils, a comparison is made between the critical free-stream Mach numbers for some standard airfoil shapes and the optimal free stream Mach number of the corresponding and _t . A significant increase in the critical free-stream Mach number is found for the optimal airfoils.     

On PP-rings

A ringR is called a leftPP-ring if every principal left ideal is projective, equivalently if the left annihilatorl(a) is generated by an idempotent for allaR. These rings seem first to have been discussed by Hattori [2] and examples include (von Neumann) regular rings and domains (possibly noncommutative). In this note we give a new characterization of leftPP-rings, use that to give an elementary proof of a result of Xue [4] characterizing triangularPP-rings, and then determine when the ringT _n (R) of upper triangular matrices overR is a leftPP-ring. Throughout the paper all rings have a unity and all modules are unitary.This research was supported by NSERC Grant A8075     

On depth first search strees inm-out digraphs

We consider depth first search (DFS for short) trees in a class of random digraphs: am-out model. Let _i be thei ^th vertex encountered by DFS andL(i, m, n) be the height of _i in the corresponding DFS tree. We show that ifi/n asn, then there exists a constanta(,m), to be defined later, such thatL(i, m, n)/n converges in probability toa(,m) asn. We also obtain results concerning the number of vertices and the number of leaves in a DFS tree.