Twice-punctured hyperbolic sphere with a conical singularity and generalized elliptic integral

We describe, in terms of generalized elliptic integrals, the hyperbolic metric of the twice-punctured sphere with one conical singularity of prescribed order. We also give several monotonicity properties of the metric and a couple of applications.     

Domination in the hierarchical product and Vizing’s conjecture

Given a graph $G$, a set $S?V\left(G\right)$ is a dominating set of $G$ if every vertex of $G$ is either in $S$ or adjacent to a vertex in $S$. The domination number of $G$, denoted $\gamma \left(G\right)$, is the minimum cardinality of a dominating set of $G$. Vizing’s conjecture states that $\gamma (G\square H)\ge \gamma \left(G\right)\gamma \left(H\right)$ for any graphs $G$ and $H$ where $G\square H$ denotes the Cartesian product of $G$ and $H$. In this paper, we continue the work by Anderson et al. (2016) by studying the domination number of the hierarchical product. Specifically, we show that partitioning the vertex set of a graph in a particular way shows a trend in the lower bound of the domination number of the product, providing further evidence that the conjecture is true.     

Production of color centers in PMMA by ultrashort laser pulses

We report here the creation of color centers in commercial, transparent PMMA samples by ultrashort pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser emitting at 800 nm, with spatial control. Although the 800 nm photon energy is not sufficient to ionize the polymer, the centers are created following a multiphotonic absorption that causes the ionization. We propose that the free electrons quivering motion on the pulse electric field displaces atoms from its equilibrium positions, creating free radicals and double bonds that coalesce into color centers. The absorption and emission spectra of the centers were measured, but a dose-like curve could not be built due to the presence of damages created along with the centers that scatter the excitation and emission lights due to the commercial sample's poor optical quality.     

Concise synthesis of 22-hydroxyacuminatine, cytotoxic camptothecinoid from Camptotheca acuminata, by pyridone benzannulation

A short, efficient synthesis of 22-hydroxyacuminatine, starting from a readily accessible hydroxy pyridone, is presented; key steps include a Heck coupling with methyl pentadienoate, a flash vacuum pyrolytic cyclization, and a Friedl?nder condensation.     

Electron-transfer dynamics from Ru polypyridyl complexes to In2O3 nanocrystalline thin films

Photoinduced electron injection dynamics from Ru(dcbpy)(2)(X)(2) (dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine; X(2) = 2SCN(-), 2CN(-), and dcbpy; referenced as RuN3, Ru505, and Ru470) to In(2)O(3) nanocrystalline thin films were studied using ultrafast transient IR absorption spectroscopy. After 532 nm excitation of the adsorbates, the dynamics of electron injection from their excited states to In(2)O(3) were studied by monitoring the IR absorption of the injected electrons in the semiconductor. The injection kinetics were non-single-exponential. For samples exposed to air, the half rise times, defined as the time of 50% injection yield, were 5 +/- 0.8, 85 +/- 20, and >200 ps for RuN3, Ru505, and Ru470, respectively. For samples in pH 2 buffer, the corresponding half time for injection from these complexes became 6 +/- 1, 105 +/- 20, and 18 +/- 5 ps. The injection kinetics from RuN3 to In(2)O(3) was found to be similar to that to SnO(2). These kinetics traces showed a negligible <100 fs injection component and were very different from those to TiO(2). The dependences of the injection kinetics on adsorbate energetics and the nature of the semiconductors are discussed.     

Measurement of the Lambdab0 lifetime using semileptonic decays

We report a measurement of the Lambda(b)(0) lifetime using a sample corresponding to 1.3 fb(-1) of data collected by the D0 experiment in 2002-2006 during run II of the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The Lambda(b)(0) baryon is reconstructed via the decay Lambda(b)(0)-->micronuLambda(c)(+)X. Using 4437+/-329 signal candidates, we measure the Lambda(b)(0) lifetime to be tau(Lambda(b)(0))=1.290(-0.110)(+0.119)(stat)(-0.091)(+0.087)(syst) ps, which is among the most precise measurements in semileptonic Lambda(b)(0) decays. This result is in good agreement with the world average value.     

Ultradoping Boron on Si(100) via Solvothermal Chemistry**

Ultradoping introduces unprecedented dopant levels into Si, which transforms its electronic behavior and enables its use as a next-generation electronic material. Commercialization of ultradoping is currently limited by gas-phase ultra-high vacuum requirements. Solvothermal chemistry is amenable to scale-up. However, an integral part of ultradoping is a direct chemical bond between dopants and Si, and solvothermal dopant-Si surface reactions are not well-developed. This work provides the first quantified demonstration of achieving ultradoping concentrations of boron (∼1e14 cm²) by using a solvothermal process. Surface characterizations indicate the catalyst cross-reacted, which led to multiple surface products and caused ambiguity in experimental confirmation of direct surface attachment. Density functional theory computations elucidate that the reaction results in direct B−Si surface bonds. This proof-of-principle work lays groundwork for emerging solvothermal ultradoping processes.