A Novel One- and Zero-Dimensional Model for Turbulent Jet Ignition

Flow, Turbulence and Combustion - Turbulent jet ignition (TJI) is a promising combustion technology for burning highly diluted air-fuel mixtures. Computationally efficient models to assess the...     

Role of Stone–Wales defects on the functionalization of (8,0) single wall carbon nanotubes by the amine group: Ab initio study

Using first-principle calculations, we have investigated the chemical functionalization of (8,0) zigzag single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by the amine group on Stone–Wales (SW) defects. The binding of NH₂ with the defective (8,0) nanotube was explored and the preferential grafting sites have been identified. On the other hand, the modifications induced by SW defect and functional groups in the structural and electronic properties of (8,0) SWNT have also been investigated. The role of SW defects in the chemical reactivity of carbon nanotubes was well identified.     

Auditory discrimination of force of impact

The auditory discrimination of force of impact was measured for three groups of listeners using sounds synthesized according to first-order equations of motion for the homogenous, isotropic bar [Morse and Ingard (1968). Theoretical Acoustics pp. 175-191]. The three groups were professional percussionists, nonmusicians, and individuals recruited from the general population without regard to musical background. In the two-interval, forced-choice procedure, listeners chose the sound corresponding to the greater force of impact as the length of the bar varied from one presentation to the next. From the equations of motion, a maximum-likelihood test for the task was determined to be of the form Δlog A + αΔ log f > 0, where A and f are the amplitude and frequency of any one partial and α = 0.5. Relative decision weights on Δ log f were obtained from the trial-by-trial responses of listeners and compared to α. Percussionists generally outperformed the other groups; however, the obtained decision weights of all listeners deviated significantly from α and showed variability within groups far in excess of the variability associated with replication. Providing correct feedback after each trial had little effect on the decision weights. The variability in these measures was comparable to that seen in studies involving the auditory discrimination of other source attributes.     

Nanoscale self-organization using standing surface acoustic waves

The diffusion of an adatom on a substrate submitted to a standing surface acoustic wave is theoretically studied. By performing large scale molecular dynamic simulations, we show that the wave dynamically structures the substrate by encouraging the presence of the adatom in the vicinity of the maximum displacements of the substrate. Using an analytical model, we explain this feature introducing an effective potential induced by the wave. Applied in an atomic deposition experiment, this dynamic structuring process should govern the nucleation sites distribution opening the route to accurately control the self-organization process at the nanoscale.     

Higher-order modulation instability in nonlinear fiber optics

We report theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of higher-order modulation instability in the focusing nonlinear Schr?dinger equation. This higher-order instability arises from the nonlinear superposition of elementary instabilities, associated with initial single breather evolution followed by a regime of complex, yet deterministic, pulse splitting. We analytically describe the process using the Darboux transformation and compare with experiments in optical fiber. We show how a suitably low frequency modulation on a continuous wave field induces higher-order modulation instability splitting with the pulse characteristics at different phases of evolution related by a simple scaling relationship. We anticipate that similar processes are likely to be observed in many other systems including plasmas, Bose-Einstein condensates, and deep water waves.     

Dynamics and thermodynamics of the low-temperature strongly interacting Bose gas

We measure the zero-temperature equation of state of a homogeneous Bose gas of (7)Li atoms by analyzing the in situ density distributions of trapped samples. For increasing repulsive interactions our data show a clear departure from mean-field theory and provide a quantitative test of the many-body corrections first predicted in 1957 by Lee, Huang, and Yang [Phys. Rev. 106, 1135 (1957).]. We further probe the dynamic response of the Bose gas to a varying interaction strength and compare it to simple theoretical models. We deduce a lower bound for the value of the universal constant ξ > 0.44(8) that would characterize the universal Bose gas at the unitary limit.     

Giant charge relaxation resistance in the Anderson model

We investigate the dynamical charge response of the Anderson model viewed as a quantum RC circuit. Applying a low-energy effective Fermi liquid theory, a generalized Korringa-Shiba formula is derived at zero temperature, and the charge relaxation resistance is expressed solely in terms of static susceptibilities which are accessible by Bethe ansatz. We identify a giant charge relaxation resistance at intermediate magnetic fields related to the destruction of the Kondo singlet. The scaling properties of this peak are computed analytically in the Kondo regime. We also show that the resistance peak fades away at the particle-hole symmetric point.     

Transform-limited spectral compression by self-phase modulation of amplitude-shaped pulses with negative chirp

Spectral compression by self-phase modulation of amplitude- and phase-shaped pulses is demonstrated as superior compared to pulses that have only been phase shaped. We synthesize linearly negatively chirped parabolic pulses, which we send through a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber, in which self-phase modulation compresses the spectrum of the pulses to within 20% of the Fourier transform limit.     

Demultiplexing of OTDM-DPSK signals based on a single semiconductor optical amplifier and optical filtering

We propose and demonstrate the use of a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and optical filtering to time demultiplex tributaries from an optical time division multiplexing-differential phase shift keying (OTDM-DPSK) signal. The scheme takes advantage of the fact that phase variations added to the target channel by cross-phase modulation from the control signal are effectively subtracted in the differential demodulation scheme employed for DPSK signals. Demultiplexing from 80 to 40 Gbit/s is demonstrated with moderate power penalty using an SOA with recovery time twice as long as the bit period at 80 Gbit/s. Large dynamic ranges for the input power and SOA current are experimentally demonstrated. The scheme is expected to be scalable toward higher bit rates.     

Mechanistic studies on a Cu-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling reaction with N-phenyl tetrahydroisoquinoline: structure of intermediates and the role of methanol as a solvent

The mechanism of an aerobic copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling reaction with N-phenyl tetrahydroisoquinoline was investigated. The oxidized species formed from the reaction of the amine with the copper catalyst were analyzed by NMR-spectroscopy. An iminium dichlorocuprate was found to be the reactive intermediate and could be structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The effect of methanol to effectively stabilize the iminium ion was investigated and shown to be beneficial in an oxidative allylation reaction.