Pulse FT NMR of non-equilibrium states of half-integer spin quadrupolar nuclei in single crystals

For quadrupolar nuclei with spin quantum numbers equal to 3/2, 5/2 and 7/2, the intensities of the NMR transitions in a single crystal are examined as a function of the rf excitation flip angle. Single-quantum NMR intensities are calculated using density matrix theory beginning under various non-equilibrium conditions and are compared with those determined experimentally. As a representative spin-3/2 system, the flip-angle dependence of the ²³Na NMR intensities of a single crystal of NaNO₃ was investigated beginning with the inversion of the populations associated with one of the satellite transitions. Subsequently, the populations of both satellite transitions were inverted using highly frequency-selective hyperbolic secant pulses. Calculated and experimental intensities are in good agreement. As an example of a spin-5/2 system, the flip-angle dependence of the ²⁷Al NMR transition intensities was determined using a single crystal of sapphire, Al₂O₃, starting under different nuclear spin population conditions. The experimental trends mimicked those predicted by the density matrix calculations but the agreement was not as good as for the spin-3/2 case. Some SIMPSON simulations were also carried out to confirm the results generated by our density matrix calculations. The theoretical flip-angle behavior of the NMR transition intensities obtained from a spin-7/2 spin system is also discussed.     

Hippocampal activity during the transverse patterning task declines with cognitive competence but not with age

Background  

The hippocampus is a brain region that is particularly affected by age-related morphological changes. It is generally assumed that a loss in hippocampal volume results in functional deficits that contribute to age-related cognitive decline. In a combined cross-sectional behavioural and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study we investigated whether hippocampal-associated neural current flow during a transverse patterning task - which requires learning relational associations between stimuli - correlates with age and whether it is modulated by cognitive competence.     

Error correcting bell inequalities

Quantum error-correcting codes can protect multipartite quantum states from errors on some limited number of their subsystems (usually qubits). We construct a family of Bell inequalities which inherit this property from the underlying code and exhibit the violation of local realism, without any quantum information processing (except for the creation of an entangled state). This family shows no reduction in the size of the violation of local realism for arbitrary errors on a limited number of qubits. Our minimal construction requires preparing an 11-qubit entangled state.     

Doing arithmetic with nonlinear acoustic vortices

Phase singularities of wave-front-like screw dislocations or vortices possess a well-defined quantity that can only take integer value: the topological charge. In the nonlinear regime, it has been demonstrated that optical or acoustical vortices interact and the topological charge follows a conservation law. Here this facility is used in nonlinear parametric interaction of two vortices shifted in frequency to perform sums and subtractions of the topological charge. Thus, we experimentally demonstrate a new technique to perform wave computation in the group of integer Z. When the two vortices have commensurable frequencies, different combinations give the same frequencies but different tolopological charges may occur. We show that an energy criterion can be used to predict the outcome. A corollary is that a modulation of amplitude of the vortices switches from one result to the other.     

Computer controlled techniques for high emission density mapping of thermionic cathodes

Some of the techniques commonly used (e.g. SLEEP and thermionic emission microscope) for measuring emission or work function uniformity of thermionic cathode surfaces require the use of very low or near zero current densities, thus the cathode is characterized at current densities and temperatures much lower than that of a normally operating cathode. The system reported on here uses a high voltage pulse technique and is capable of measuring emission densities in the range 1 to 80 A/cm² at normal cathode operating temperatures. The cathode surface is scanned with an anode having a 0.025 mm aperture whose position is controlled by computer operated stepping motors. The current through the aperture to a collector electrode is measured using a sample-and-hold amplifier. Pulsing and sampling are computer synchronized with the scanning, and data for each pulse are accumulated and can be processed and displayed in several ways using the computer, including a detailed “three-dimensional” map of either the electron emission density or work function variations. The entire surface of the cathode or any portion of it can be mapped in steps as small as 0.001 mm (1μm), but typically steps of 5–100 μm were used. Measurements are presented illustrating the uniformity or nonuniformity of the electron emission densities and work functions for type-B and type-M cathodes.     

The use of trehalose in the preparation of specimens for molecular electron microscopy

Biological specimens have to be prepared for imaging in the electron microscope in a way that preserves their native structure. Two-dimensional (2D) protein crystals to be analyzed by electron crystallography are best preserved by sugar embedding. One of the sugars often used to embed 2D crystals is trehalose, a disaccharide used by many organisms for protection against stress conditions. Sugars such as trehalose can also be added to negative staining solutions used to prepare proteins and macromolecular complexes for structural studies by single-particle electron microscopy (EM). In this review, we describe trehalose and its characteristics that make it so well suited for preparation of EM specimens and we review specimen preparation methods with a focus on the use of trehalose.     

Electron energy loss and secondary emission mechanisms in BaO

Electron Loss Spectroscopy (ELS), X-ray Photoemission (XPS), Secondary Emission Energy Distribution, and Secondary Electron yield data have been obtained on both evaporated films and sprayed-on coatings of BaO. Using the ELS correlated with the XPS data, bulk and surface plasmon losses as well as excitonic and interband transition electron loss mechanisms have been identified. It was found that at low primary beam energies (<100 eV), structure in the secondary emission energy distribution could be correlated with a conduction band energy structure. This structure was consistent with the model used to explain the loss transitions. The structure in the energy distribution curves shows little, if any, correlation with plasmon decay mechanisms and other two-step electron emission processes. On the contrary, for the case of BaO (at least at low primary energies), the energy distribution data and structure in the secondary yield vs. primary beam energy data indicate that most secondaries are produced by direct excitation of secondaries by the primary electrons.     

Bifurcation and stability of dynamical structures at a current instability

We investigate bifurcation and stability of nonuniform current states at a voltage-controlled current instability. We consider a model which exhibits bulk negative differential conductivity due to Bragg scattering of hot electrons. The system is described by balance equations for momentum and energy densities of the carriers. These transport fields are coupled to Maxwell's equations. The uniform stationary current state is unstable against long-wavelength dielectric relaxation modes at a critical field. We find that the softening of these modes gives rise to a family of periodic travelling waves and to a solitary solution (dipole domain). We show that the periodic travelling waves are unstable, wheras the dipole domain can be stabilized by coupling the sample to a suitable external circuit, if the static impedance of the sample in the domain state is negative. The model describes therefore a discontinuous nonequilibrium transition to a large amplitude domain state.Work Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation     

Determination of bismuth by selenious acid

Summary Bismuth is shown to be precipitated quantitatively as bismuth selenite by boiling an almost neutral solution of bismuth nitrate and excess selenious acid. The excess H₂SeO₃ is determined iodometrically by standard thiosulphate or arsenious oxide solution. Alternatively, the precipitated selenite may be dried at 105–110° C and weighed as Bi₂(SeO₃)₃.Sincere thanks of the authors are due to Prof. S. S. Joshi for research facilities and to Dr. G. S. Deshmukh for keen interest in the work.     

Long-term stability of InP MIS devices

Room-temperature bias stress measurements were performed on n-type InP MIS capacitors. A wide range of interface passivation processes and gate dielectrics was investigated. A generally observed behaviour under positive bias stress is a slow trapping - fast detrapping consistent with a trap distribution in the interfacial layer above the conduction band edge of InP. Large variations both in the magnitude and in the time dependence of the flat-band voltage shift ΔV_FB are observed. We discuss these drift behaviours in terms of interface traps - rather than bulk dielectric traps - in relation with the physico-chemical properties of the interface. It is shown that devices based on InP treated by annealing under arsenic pressure and controlled oxidation exhibit a very good stability. For any passivation procedure, the drift is strongly diminished if the device is stressed with AC voltage compared to DC voltage.