High finesse opto-mechanical cavity with a movable thirty-micron-size mirror

We report on the demonstration of a high finesse micro-optomechanical system and identify potential applications ranging from optical cooling to weak force detection to massive quantum superpositions. The system consists of a high quality diameter flat dielectric mirror cut from a larger substrate with a focused ion beam and attached to an atomic force microscope cantilever. Cavity ring-down measurements performed on a 25 mm long Fabry-Pérot cavity with the 30 microm mirror at one end show an optical finesse of 2100. Numerical calculations show that the finesse is not diffraction limited and that orders of magnitude higher finesse should be possible. A mechanical quality factor of more than 10(5) at pressures below 10(-3) mbar is demonstrated for the cantilever with a mirror attached.     

NE102A Plastic Scintillator Response to 3He Ions

Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters - Plastic scintillators are widely used in detecting nuclear radiation due to their low construction cost, the ability to be produced in nearly any shape and...     

Structural model updating using incomplete transfer function of strain data

In this paper a model updating algorithm is presented to estimate structural parameters at the element level utilizing frequency domain representation of the strain data. Sensitivity equations for mass and stiffness parameters estimation are derived using decomposed form of the strain-based transfer functions. The rate of changes of eigenvectors and a subset of measured natural frequencies are used to assemble the sensitivity equation of the strain-based transfer function. Solution of the derived sensitivity equations through the least square method resulted in a robust parameters estimation method. Numerical examples using simulated noise polluted data of 2D truss and frame models confirm that the proposed method is able to successfully update structural models even in the presence of mass modeling errors.     

Solvent effects on catalytic activity of manganese porphyrins with cationic,anionic and uncharged meso substituents: Indirect evidence on the nature of active oxidant species

Oxidation of cyclohexene and styrene with sodium periodate and tetra‐n‐butylammonium periodate (TBAP) catalyzed by MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc), MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) has been studied in water, methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane as solvents. The results show significant dependence of the product distribution on the type of solvent and the electronic nature of the aryl substituents introduced at the porphyrin periphery. While the oxidation of cyclohexene and styrene in the presence of MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) in water (also in methanol) gave the corresponding epoxides as nearly the sole product, performing the reactions in the presence of MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc) yielded the products of allylic oxidation, cyclohexene‐2‐ol and cyclohexene‐2‐one and acetophenone as the major products. In the case of styrene, performing the reaction in the presence of MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc), MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) in acetonitrile gave a mixture of styrene oxide and acetophenone as the products. Under the same conditions, the oxidation of cyclohexene afforded cyclohexene oxide as approximately the exclusive product. Furthermore, the oxidation of olefins in dichloromethane gave the corresponding epoxide as the exclusive products. The product distributions observed in the protic and aprotic solvents were used to provide indirect evidence on the relative contribution and reactivity of high valent manganese oxo and periodato Mn(III) porphyrin species to the oxidation reactions.     

Thermodynamic Consistency Test of Vapor–liquid Equilibrium Data of Binary Systems Including Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) and Ionic Liquids Using the Generic Redlich–Kwong Equation of State

The thermodynamic consistency test of solubility P–T–x data for binary mixtures including carbon dioxide (CO2) + a room temperature ionic liquid has been investigated. Experimental solubility data taken from the open literature for 32 binary mixtures of CO2/RTILs contains 80 isotherms. The applied consistency test is based on the fundamental Gibbs–Duhem equation with use of the generic Redlich–Kwong (GRK) equation of state (EoS) coupled with the van der Waals–Berthelot (GRK/vdWB) mixing rule. The optimum parameters were obtained by minimizing the summation of per cent relative deviations between modeled and experimental data, based on the bubble pressure algorithm. Modeling was found acceptable for all isotherms, which demonstrated the usability of the GRK equation of state. Results of the thermodynamic consistency test showed that 36 of the isothermal data sets were thermodynamically consistent, 37 were not fully consistent, 6 were thermodynamically inconsistent and only one data set was found to need another model.     

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation: Efficient catalysis by an NHC-amidate Pd(II) complex

The utilization of carbon dioxide as a carbon source has long been a challenge in modern organic chemistry due to its low reactivity, yet high abundance. Herein we demonstrate the highly efficient hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into formic acid in the presence of an NHC-amidate Pd(II) complex. Excellent turnover number was observed when the catalyst was used under heterolytic conditions. This catalytic system provides a new and efficient carbon dioxide hydrogenation method.     

The most representative shape of a family of curves

Suppose that we are given a family of curves, either continuous or discrete, and we wish to determine a curve that is most representative of the family. Using least squares theory, we find that in both cases we seek the dominant eigenvalue and eigenvector of a symmetric matrix. Numerical approaches to the eigenvalue problem are then given. One involves the standard inverse power method, and the other involves a new differential equation approach. Faddeev's method for obtaining the characteristic polynomial is also employed. Two illustrative examples, one for a family of continuous curves and one for a family of discrete curves, are presented.     

Numerical study on the hydrodynamic behavior of the dielectric fluid around an electrical discharge generated bubble in EDM

In the process of EDM, due to the electrical current, very small bubbles are created within the gap. These bubbles are connected to each other and generate a single bubble. The vapor bubble continues to grow until it finally collapses to small bubbles. The bubble behavior can be ascertained on the distribution of the pressure in the dielectric fluid around the bubble. In this paper, velocity fields and pressure distribution in the dielectric fluid around the bubble that is generated in the process of EDM are investigated numerically. The tool and the workpiece are assumed as two parallel rigid boundaries with dielectric liquid between them. The boundary integral equation method is applied for the numerical solution of the problem. This study can lead to better understanding of the bubble importance in the performance of the electrical discharge machining process.