Accreting neutron stars as probes of dense matter physics

There are over 100 accreting neutron stars in our galaxy, in which matter (typically H/He) is tidally transferred from a secondary companion to the neutron star. Accretion of this matter perturbs the thermal structure of the interior away from that of an isolated cooling neutron star. In this paper. we review how this accretion induces reactions in the crust of the neutron star that keep the interior hot. If the accretion is intermittent, then the heated surface layers are directly observable when accretion stops. This heating also affects the unstable ignition of light elements in the neutron star envelope. Observations of the neutron star cooling following an accretion outburst can in principle constrain the thermal properties of the crust and core.     

Thermal conductivity, dislocation density and GaN device design

The performance of high power transistor devices is intimately connected to the substrate thermal conductivity. In this study, the relationship between thermal conductivity and dislocation density is examined using the 3 omega technique and free standing HVPE GaN substrates. Dislocation density is measured using imaging cathodoluminescence. In a low dislocation density regime below 10⁵ cm⁻², the thermal conductivity appears to plateau out near 230 W/K m and can be altered by the presence of isotopic defects and point defects. For high dislocation densities the thermal conductivity is severely degraded due to phonon scattering from dislocations. These results are applied to the design of homoepitaxially and heteroepitaxially grown HEMT devices and the efficiency of heat extraction and the influence of lateral heat spreading on device performance are compared.     

Topological gauge theories and group cohomology

We show that three dimensional Chern-Simons gauge theories with a compact gauge groupG (not necessarily connected or simply connected) can be classified by the integer cohomology groupH ⁴(BG,Z). In a similar way, possible Wess-Zumino interactions of such a groupG are classified byH ³(G,Z). The relation between three dimensional Chern-Simons gauge theory and two dimensional sigma models involves a certain natural map fromH ⁴(BG,Z) toH ³(G,Z). We generalize this correspondence to topological spin theories, which are defined on three manifolds with spin structure, and are related to what might be calledZ ₂ graded chiral algebras (or chiral superalgebras) in two dimensions. Finally we discuss in some detail the formulation of these topological gauge theories for the special case of a finite group, establishing links with two dimensional (holomorphic) orbifold models.     

Stimulated emission of relativistic particles by external sources in spacetime

Explicit solutions are derived for transition amplitudes associated with stimulated emission of relativistic particles by external sources inspacetime. More precisely, exact expressions are obtained for transition amplitudes for any process where there are initially, at a given time, an arbitrary number of particles localized in various regions of space, prior to the switching on of an intervening source, and then, finally, at a later time when the intervening source ceases to operate, a given number of particles are found to be localized in various regions of space. The analysis is given for massive particles ofarbitrary integer and half-integer spins. The solutions are obtained by carrying out a unitarity expansion inconfiguration space, where particles travel between emitters and detectors in the presence of an intervening source. Considered as an application is the process: particlearbitrary number of particles, where the latter particles emerge spatially with a cone.     

Stimulated emission of photon excitations by external currents in spacetime

The problem of stimulated emission of photon excitations by external currents is studied inspacetime by making use of the concept of localized photon excitations in configuration space. An explicit expression is derived for the amplitude that an arbitrary number of photon excitations are produced and found in arbitrary localized regions in space when there are an arbitrary number of photon excitations prior to the switching on of the intervening current. Considered as an application is the reaction of a photon splitting to any number of photon excitations as the latter emerge spatially within a cone in the presence of a strong external electromagnetic current. This work is a generalization of work dealing with strictly massive particles.     

N-α-Benzyloxyacetyl derivatives of (S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one for the asymmetric synthesis of differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes

α-Dibenzylamino- and α-benzyloxy- derivatives of N-acetyl-(S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one readily undergo highly stereoselective boron mediated syn-aldol reactions with a range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, generating the syn-aldol products in good to excellent yields as single diastereoisomers after purification. In the α-dibenzylamino series, deprotection of the functionalised aldol fragments to the corresponding α-amino-β-hydroxy methyl ester or α-amino-β-hydroxyaldehyde proved problematic, with a range of N- and O-protecting groups giving mixtures of products arising from endocyclic and exocyclic cleavage pathways. However, in the α-benzyloxy series, O-silyl protection of the aldol products, and subsequent DIBAL reduction gives stereoselectively the corresponding N-1′-hydroxyalkyloxazolidin-2-ones, which undergo base promoted fragmentation to the desired highly functionalised and differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes in good yields and without loss of stereochemical integrity.     

Multiphoton-Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (MUPI-MS) [New Analytical Methods (34)]

Mass spectrometry is one of the most important analytical tools in chemistry, biology, medicine and related areas. During the past 30 years, methods have been developed, both for the qualitative as well as the quantitative analysis of a wide variety of substances. The introduction of lasers into chemistry has also profited mass spectrometry, since its nonlinear properties and its tunability open up fundamentally new frontiers. Multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry combines UV-spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, thus providing a two-dimensional method that enables substance-specific and even state-specific analyses. This progress report presents the fundamentals and possibilities of MUPI mass spectrometry and discusses investigations on amino acids, peptides, chlorophylls and sugars. For each substance, multiphoton ionization can be tuned in such a way that only the molecular ion is formed. An increase of laser intensity induces substance-specific fragmentations of the molecule, thus contributing to a quick and easy identification of the substance.     

Luteone,a twenty three carbon terpenoid from the dorid nudi branch Cadlina luteomarginata

The structure of luteone ($\text{1}$), a twenty three carbon terpenoid, has been solved by performing a single crystal x-ray analysis on a 3,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivative.     

Automatic absolute determination of total sulfur by combustion and coulometric titration

An automatic method for the absolute determination of total sulfur, which overcomes the tendency of previous methods to give low sulfur recoveries on samples with high oxygen demand, is described. The technique combusts the sample in oxygen and sweeps the combustion gases through a hydrogen peroxide trap to remove the sulfur oxides from the gas stream. The trap contents are volatilized and swept with nitrogen through reduced copper heated to 890 °C. Sulfur oxides are quantitatively converted to sulfur dioxide and titrated coulometrically with iodine. Halogens are held by the copper and do not interfere with the sulfur determination. Analysis time is 12 min and automation of the method allows unattended operation. Sample size is 0.5 to 20 mg. Sulfur levels of 0.05 to 100% can be determined.     

Sulfonylcarbamimidic azides from sulfonyl chlorides and 5-aminotetrazole

Treatment of o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 3 ) with 5-aminotetrazole (5-AT) gave [(2-nitrophenyl)-sulfonyl]carbamimidic azide ( 6 ), a ring-opened isomer of the expected N-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-2-nitrobenzenesulfonamide ( 4 ). Sulfonylcarbamimidic azide 6 was converted to 2-amino-N-(aminoiminomethyl)benzene-sulfonamide ( 7 ) with ethanolic stannous chloride, and to 3-amino-1,2,4-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxide ( 8 ) with sodium dithionite. Methanesulfonyl chloride ( 9 ) and 5-AT gave 2-(methylsulfonyl)carbamimidic azide ( 10 ), which isomerized to 5-[(methylsulfonyl)amino]-1H-tetrazole ( 11 ) in warm ethanol. Attempted cycloaddition of 2-(phenylsulfonyl)carbamimidic azide ( 13 ) and ethyl vinyl ether led only to alkylated tetrazole products. In addition, other tetrazole-alkylating reactions are described. Isomers produced from these alkylations were differentiated with ¹³C nmr spectroscopy.