Formation of Pyrogenic Silica: Spectroscopic and Quantum Chemical Insight

This article describes the genesis of amorphous silica under high-heat conditions from SiO₂ molecules through protoparticles, primary particles, and aggregates to agglomerates using vibrational spectra and quantum chemical simulations data. The impact of small molecules (water, HCl, CO₂) is also discussed. The article also explains the nature of the pyrogenic silica amorphism.     

Acousto-mechanical and thermal properties of clotted blood

The efficacy of ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis as an adjunct treatment of ischemic stroke is being widely investigated. To determine the role of ultrasound hyperthermia in the process of blood clot disruption, the acousto-mechanical and thermal properties of clotted blood were measured in vitro, namely, density, speed of sound, frequency-dependent attenuation, specific heat, and thermal conductivity. The amplitude coefficient of attenuation of the clots was determined for 120 kHz, 1.0 MHz, and 3.5 MHz ultrasound at room temperature (20 +/- 2 degrees C). The attenuation coefficient ranged from 0.10 to 0.30 Np/cm in porcine clots and from 0.09 to 0.23 Np/cm in human clots. The experimentally determined values of specific heat and thermal conductivity for porcine clotted blood are (3.2 +/- 0.5) x 10(3) J/kg x K and 0.55 +/- 0.13 W/m x K, respectively, and for human clotted blood are (3.5 +/- 0.8) x 10(3) J/kg x K and 0.59 +/- 0.11 W/m x K, respectively. Measurements of the acousto-mechanical and thermal properties of clotted blood can be helpful in theoretical modeling of ultrasound hyperthermia in ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis and other high-intensity focused ultrasound applications.     

“Slow” wave of zero-sound in degenerate Fermi gas

The dynamic Hartree-Fock theory with point-like interaction is used to calculate the speed of sound and damping factor of a zero-sound wave propagating in a degenerate Fermi gas. This wave propagates slower than Fermi velocity. It is shown, that if the interaction is weak and density is small, then the damping of such a wave can be small. A possibility of discovering such waves in ultracold Fermi gases is discussed.     

UP-conversion of terahertz radiation induced by photon drag effect

An all-optical approach to convert terahertz radiation (THz, wavelength λ₁) into infrared (IR, peak wavelength λ₂) is presented. We show that this up-conversion process is due to the photon drag effect induced by the THz radiation in intrinsic narrow-gap semiconductors followed by spatial redistribution of current carriers and band-to-band radiative recombination. The process results in non-selective high-speed (ns range rise/fall times) IR imaging of positive (conventional luminescence) and/or negative (negative luminescence) contrasts. Estimates made for an InSb pixelless converter at 300 K and moderate THz intensity (kW/cm²) show that this up-conversion process (with λ₁/λ₂>10²) can be observed with a conventional thermal imaging camera.     

Some constraints on the Yukawa parameters in the neutrino modification of the Standard Model (ν<Emphasis Type="Italic">MSM</Emphasis>) and CP-violation

The equations connecting elements of the Yukawa matrix to elements of the active neutrino mass matrix in the νMSM theory (an extension of the Standard Model by a singlet of three right-handed neutrinos) was analyzed, and explicit relations for the ratio of the Yukawa matrix elements and elements of the active neutrino mass matrix were obtained. This relation can be used for getting more accurate constraints on the model parameters. Particularly, with the help of the obtained results we investigated CP-violating phase in the νMSM theory. We demonstrate that even in the case when elements of the active neutrino mass matrix are real the baryon asymmetry can be generated also.     

Aspects of Pre-quantum Description of Deformed Theories

We discuss deformations of the classical systems in the phase space and show that one can use non-canonical transformations to relate regular and deformed models. On the other hand some of the models can be obtained as a classical limit of the deformed quantum models, i.e. as the result of the dequantization procedure. Nonrelativistic deformations are described.     

Rare-earth Metal Borosilicides R9Si15–xB3 (R = Tb,Yb): New Ordered Structures Derived from the AlB2 Structure Type

Two novel ternary borosilicides R₉Si_15–xB₃ (R = Tb, x = 1.80, R = Yb, x = 1.17) were synthesized from the initial elements using tin flux method. Their crystal structures were determined by means of X-ray single crystal diffraction. Both refer to space group R32, Z = 1: a = 6.668(2) Å, c = 12.405(4) Å [R₁ = 0.027, wR₂ = 0.031 for 1832 reflections with I_o > 2σ (I_o)] for Tb₉Si_15–xB₃, and a = 6.5796(3) Å, c = 12.2599(5) Å [R_F = 0.052, wR = 0.090 for 1369 reflections with I_o > 2σ (I_o)] for Yb₉Si_15–xB₃. The structures represent a new structure type, derived from that of AlB₂, with ordering in the metalloid sublattice resulting in distorted [Si₅B] hexagons. The presence or absence of boron in this ordered structure is discussed on the basis of difference Fourier syntheses, interatomic distances, structural analysis, and theoretical calculations in relation with the parent structures of the binaries AlB₂ and Yb₃Si₅ (Th₃Pd₅ type of structure). Theoretical calculations show substantial covalent interactions between the metal and nonmetal elements. The small percentage of silicon atoms, which are missing in these nonstoichiometric compounds, probably allows strengthening boron-metal and boron-silicon bonding.