Spray thermometry using thermographic phosphors

In this study a novel technique for 2D spray temperature measurement is presented. For this purpose the thermographic phosphor (TP) Mg₄GeO_5.5F:Mn was dispersed in n-dodecane and atomised using a conventional semi solid-cone nozzle. The thermographic phosphor was excited electronically by a frequency tripled Nd:YAG laser (355 nm). An ICCD-camera in combination with an image doubler detected the subsequently emitted phosphorescence at both peak emission wavelengths located at 633 nm and 659 nm, respectively. Utilising suitable calibration measurements, the local spray temperature was determined by evaluating the intensity ratio of both emission wavelengths. To the knowledge of the authors this is the first approach of spray temperature measurement exploiting the temperature dependent intensity ratio of thermographic phosphors. PACS 07.20.Dt; 32.50.+d     

Modification of single molecule fluorescence by a scanning probe

We examine the optical near-field interaction between different types of scanning tips and single oriented fluorescent molecules. We demonstrate the influence of a tip on the excitation intensity as well as on the integrated fluorescence signal, the excited state lifetime, and the angular emission of single molecules. By using a standard model describing the radiation of an oscillating dipole close to a nanosphere or a flat interface, we interpret our observations and describe some central criteria for obtaining fluorescence enhancement or quenching. PACS 33.80.-b; 07.79.Fc; 78.90.+t     

Working group report: Quantum chromodynamics

This is the report of the subgroup QCD of Working Group-4 at WHEPP-9. We present the activities that had taken place in the subgroup and report some of the partial results arrived at following the discussion at the working group meetings.     

Directed and elliptic flow in 197Au+197Au at intermediate energies

Directed and elliptic flow for the ¹⁹⁷Au+¹⁹⁷Au system at incident energies between 40 and 150 MeV per nucleon has been measured using the INDRA 4π multi-detector. For semi-central collisions, the excitation function of elliptic flow shows a transition from in-plane to out-of-plane emission at around 100 MeV per nucleon. The directed flow changes sign at a bombarding energy between 50 and 60 MeV per nucleon and remains negative at lower energies. Molecular dynamics calculations (CHIMERA) indicate sensitivity of the global squeeze-out transition on the σ _NN and demonstrate the importance of angular momentum conservation in transport codes at low energies.     

Working group report: Collider Physics

This is summary of the activities of the working group on collider physics in the IXth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-9) held at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India in January 2006. Some of the work subsequently done on these problems by the subgroups formed during the workshop is included in this report.     

Precision of a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry device

The standard method to diagnose and follow-up osteoporosis is the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Manufacturers' manuals of DEXA devices state the intrascanner coefficient of variance is less than 0.01 g/cm². The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo coefficient of variance of a Lunar DPX scanner in male and female healthy adult subjects. Average BMD for females and males were 1.170±0.091 g/cm² and 1.272±0.115 g/cm², respectively. Monthly phantom measurements provided and controlled by the manufacturer were 1.243±0.008 g/cm² (range 1.222 to 1.257) and the coefficient of variance was 0.006. It is concluded that the in vivo coefficient of variance of DEXA devices can slightly be higher than that proposed by the manufacturer. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Investigating and ordering Quadrilaterals and their analogies in space—problem fields with various aspects

Problem fields with one or two generating problems and possibilities of varying existing problems give a good chance for self-activities of students and can be used for reaching different general aims. In this paper some topics concerning quadrilaterals will be presented. I hope they will animate teachers for more problem orientation in mathematics education. First we will reflect about different types of convex and non-convex quadrilaterals and possibilities of ordering them. Then we focus on middle-quadrilaterals and types of quadrilaterals with special middle-quadrilaterals as well as their logical ordering. Finally we investigate the analogies in space to the parallelogram and its sub-types and order them in the “house of parallelepipeds”.