Probing structural relaxation in complex fluids by critical fluctuations

Complex fluids, such as polymer solutions and blends, colloids, and gels, are of growing interest in fundamental and applied soft-condensed-matter science. A common feature of all such systems is the presence of a mesoscopic structural length scale intermediate between the atomic and macroscopic scales. This mesoscopic structure of complex fluids is often fragile and sensitive to external perturbations. Complex fluids are frequently viscoelastic (showing a combination of viscous and elastic behavior), with their dynamic response depending on the time and length scales. Recently, noninvasive methods to infer the rheological response of complex fluids have gained popularity through the technique of microrheology, where the diffusion of probe spheres in a viscoelastic fluid is monitored with the aid of light scattering or microscopy. Here, we propose an alternative to traditional microrheology that does not require doping of probe particles in the fluid (which can sometimes drastically alter the molecular environment). Instead, our proposed method makes use of the phenomenon of “avoided crossing” between modes associated with the structural relaxation and critical fluctuations that are spontaneously generated in the system.     

A diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser with a GaAs saturable absorption

We have demonstrated a passively Q-switched operation of Nd:GdVO₄ laser in which a GaAs crystal is used as the saturable absorber for the first time as far as we know. A maximum average output power of 1.64 W was obtained at an incident pump power of 12 W, the corresponding optical conversion efficiency and peak power were 13.7% and 116.8 W, respectively. The maximum peak energy obtained in the experiment by 50% transmission couple was 19 μJ.     

Capacity Constrained Transit Assignment with Common Lines

This paper proposes the use of absorbing Markov chains to solve the capacity constrained transit network loading problem taking common lines into account. The approach handles congested transit networks, where some passengers will not be able to board because of the absence of sufficient space. The model also handles the common lines problem, where choice of route depends on frequency of arrivals. The mathematical formulation of the problem is presented together with a numerical example. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dynamics in molecular crystals: An application of proton NMR to selectively protonated biphenyl. Do the rings flip together or independently?

The synthesis of a specific isotopomer, C₆D₄H(ortho)-H(ortho)D₄C₆ of biphenyl is reported. The intramolecular dipolar coupling of the protons leads to a well-resolved single-crystal proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum and allows one to study the dynamics of the phenyl rings in a unique way. At room temperature and above, the most conspicuous dynamical mode consists of 180° ring flips. The present data together with previous measurements of the total flip rate allow us to conclude that the rings flip almost exclusively independently of each other. Between the incommensurate (IC) phase transition of biphenyl at 38 K andT=250 K, the prominent namical mode consists of oscillatory twists ϕ(t) of the two rings. The data allow us to infer the mean square, (φ²), of these twists. (φ²) is found to grow linearly withT for 50<T<200 K. From the slope of (φ²) vs.T the frequency (the wave number[(v)\tilde]\tilde v) is derived. The result is[(v)\tilde] = 20\tilde v = 20 cm⁻¹. ForT<38 K, the spectra give direct evidence of the IC phase transition and its nature (stripelike rather than quiltlike). The temperature dependence of the magnitude of the order parameter of the IC phase is obtained.     

On two functionals connected to the Laplacian in a class of doubly connected domains in space-forms

LetB ₁ be a ball of radiusr ₁ inS ⁿ (ℍⁿ), and letB ₀ be a smaller ball of radiusr ₀ such thatB ₀ ⊂B ₁ . ForS ⁿ we considerr ₁ π. Let u be a solution of the problem- δm = 1 in Ω :=B ₁ /B ₀ vanishing on the boundary. It is shown that the associated functionalJ (Ω) is minimal if and only if the balls are concentric. It is also shown that the first Dirichlet eigenvalue of the Laplacian on Ω is maximal if and only if the balls are concentric.     

Hydrogen indium vacancy complex VInH4 in n-type InP studied by positron-lifetime

Positron-lifetime experiments have been carried out on two undoped n-type liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC)-grown InP samples with different stoichiometric compositions in the temperature range 10-300 K. For temperatures below 120 K for P-rich InP and 100 K for In-rich InP, the positron average lifetime began to increase rapidly and then leveled off, which was associated with the charge state change of hydrogen indium vacancy complexes from (V_InH₄)⁺ to (V_InH₄)⁰. This phenomenon was more obvious in P-rich samples that have a higher concentration of V_InH₄. The transformation temperature of approximately 120 K suggests that the complex V_InH₄ is a donor defect and that the ionization energy is about 0.01 eV. The ionization of neutral V_InH₄ accounted for the decrease of the positron average lifetime when the sample was illuminated with a photon energy of 1.32 eV at 70 K. These results provide evidence for hydrogen complex defects in undoped LEC InP.     

Relaxor behavior of (Ba,Sr)(Zr,Ti)O3 ferroelectric ceramics

We examine the ferroelectric-relaxor behavior of (Ba_0.65Sr_0.35)(Zr_0.35Ti_0.65)O₃ (BSZT) ceramics in the temperature range from 80 to 380 K. A broad dielectric maximum, which shifts to higher temperature with increasing frequency, signifies the relaxor-type behavior of these ceramics. The value of the relaxation parameter γ∼2 estimated from the linear fit of the modified Curie-Weiss law, indicates the relaxor nature of the BSZT ceramics. The dielectric relaxation rate follows the Vogel-Fulcher relation with T_VF=107 K, E_a=0.121 eV, and ν₀=6.83×10¹⁴ Hz, further supports such relaxor nature. The slim P-E hysteresis loop and ‘butterfly’ shape dc bias field dependence of permittivity at T>T_m (T_m, the temperature of permittivity maximum) clearly signifies the occurrence of nanopolar clusters, which is the typical characteristic of ferroelectric relaxor. At 300 K and 10 kHz, the dielectric constant and loss tan δ are ∼1100 and 0.0015, respectively. The high tunability (∼25%) and figure of merit (∼130) at room temperature show that the BSZT ceramics could be a promising candidate for tunable capacitor applications.     

Doppler cooling a single Ca+ ion with a violet extended-cavity diode laser

We present a scheme for employing a violet extended-cavity diode laser in experiments with single, trapped ions. For this the grating-stabilised laser is spatially and spectrally filtered and referenced to a Fabry–Pérot cavity. We measure an upper limit to the line width by observing a 305-kHz FWHM beat note with the second harmonic of a titanium sapphire laser. The laser is subsequently used to optically cool a single ⁴⁰Ca⁺ ion close to the Doppler limit. PACS 03.67.Lx; 32.80.Pj; 42.55.Px     

Vibration analysis of planar serial-frame structures

A hybrid analytical/numerical method is proposed that permits the efficient dynamic analysis of planar serial-frame structures. The method utilizes a numerical implementation of a transfer matrix solution to the equation of motion. By analyzing the transverse and longitudinal motions of each segment simultaneously and considering the compatibility requirements across each frame angle, the undetermined variables of the entire frame structure system can be reduced to six which can be determined by application of the boundary conditions. The main feature of this method is to decrease the dimensions of the matrix involved in the finite element methods and certain other analytical methods.     

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in ferromagnetic InGaMnAs

We have carried out an ultrafast time-resolved differential reflectivity study of a ferromagnetic semiconductor InGaMnAs and made a systematic comparison with low-temperature grown and high-temperature grown InGaAs reference films. Very short carrier lifetimes (2 ps) were observed in InGaMnAs and the low-temperature grown InGaAs film, but not in the high-temperature grown InGaAs film. We attribute the short lifetimes to carrier trapping by mid-gap states introduced during low-temperature MBE growth. Furthermore, at long times, we observed periodic oscillations in the differential reflectivity signal with period 20 ps, which we interpret as coherent acoustic phonons.