Applying Cognition-Based Assessment to Elementary School Students' Development of Understanding of Area and Volume Measurement

As part of a discussion of cognition-based assessment (CBA) for elementary school mathematics, I describe assessment tasks for area and volume measurement and a research-based conceptual framework for interpreting students' reasoning on these tasks. At the core of this conceptual framework is the notion of levels of sophistication. I provide details on an integrated set of levels for area and volume measurement that (a) starts with the informal, preinstructional reasoning typically possessed by students, (b) ends with the formal mathematical concepts targeted by instruction, and (c) indicates cognitive plateaus reached by students in moving from (a) to (b).     

Charge transfer excitons: dynamic theory of vibronic spectra

The vibronic spectra of charge transfer excitons (CTE) in a molecular one-component or alternatingly ordered two-component chain are treated in the framework of a dynamic approach (neglecting thermal excitations of the intramolecular vibrations). The model introduces two mechanisms of coupling between CTEs and vibrational quanta: (1) shift of the equilibrium positions of the nuclei in the ionized donor or acceptor; (2) change of the vibrational frequency in the ionized molecule. This model allows to generalize the simple CTE Hamiltonian and the vibronic Hamiltonian of Frenkel excitons. The linear optical susceptibility is calculated in the vibronic region (one CTE and one vibrational quantum). The double splitting of vibronics of CTEs was analyzed: (1) the splitting connected with the location of the intramolecular vibration on the donors or on the acceptors; (2) the splitting connected with the symmetry of the vibronic spectra (in the degenerate case). The general structure of the vibronic spectra of CTEs is established. It contains structureless absorption lines, which correspond to two-particle bands (the phonon is excited on a neutral molecule neighboring the donor or the acceptor) and Lorentz-type lines of one-particle states, which correspond to the bound propagation of the CTE and the phonon.     

Half-width temperature dependence of nitrogen broadened lines in the ν2 band of H2O

Forty-seven N₂ broadened water vapor line-widths have been measured in the 1845-2140 cm⁻¹ spectral range with a Fourier Transform spectrometer in the 258-330 K temperature range at a spectral resolution of 0.005 cm⁻¹ for the lines with upper state rotational quantum number up to 16. The measured exponents of the temperature dependence of the width exhibit a large range of values from 1.60 to −0.86. Theoretical calculations were made using a semi-empirical technique based on the Anderson theory. The calculated broadening coefficients as well as the temperature exponents for the half-width agree satisfactory with measured values.     

A finite element-spherical harmonics radiation transport model for photon migration in turbid media

In this paper, we solve the steady-state form of the Boltzmann transport equation in homogeneous and heterogeneous tissue-like media with a finite element-spherical harmonics (FE-P_N) radiation transport method. We compare FE-transport and diffusion solutions in terms of the ratio of absorption to reduced scattering coefficient, (μ_a/μ_s′) and the anisotropy factor g. Two different scattering phase function formulas are employed to model anisotropic scattering in the slab media with high g-value. Influence of void-like heterogeneities, and of their boundaries with the surrounding medium on the transport of photons are also examined.     

Effective Values of Variable Components of the Refractive Index upon Nonlinear Recording of Phase Holograms

The diffraction of a plane wave incident on a thick hologram at the first and second Bragg angles in the process of nonlinear recording is analyzed using the coupled-wave equations. It is shown that, in this case, the two-wave approximation with the use of effective modulation amplitudes of the refractive index, n _1ef and n _2ef, can be applied. Analytical dependences of n _1ef and n _2ef on the modulation amplitudes of the refractive index n ₁ and n ₂ at the fundamental and doubled spatial frequencies are obtained and the criteria of their applicability are determined. The dependences found are used to calculate the parameters of gratings recorded in a photopolymeric material.     

Tunable microlens arrays using polymer network liquid crystal

A tunable-focus microlens array based on polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) is demonstrated. The PNLC was prepared using an ultraviolet (UV) light exposure through a patterned photomask. The photocurable monomer in each of the UV exposed spot forms an inhomogeneous centro-symmetrical polymer network which acts as a lens when a homogeneous electric field is applied to the cell. The focal length of the microlens arrays is tunable with the applied voltage.     

Optical third-harmonic generation in coupled microcavities based on porous silicon

The resonance features of the third-harmonic generation have been observed in 1D coupled microcavities consisting of three Bragg reflectors and two identical half-wave layers of mesoporous silicon. The third-harmonic intensity increases by a factor of about 10³ in the resonance of fundamental radiation with each of the modes of coupled microcavities. It has been shown that the resonance positions in the angular spectra of the third-harmonic intensity depend on the coupling between microcavities that is determined by the transmission of the intermediate Bragg reflector. In the framework of the transfer-matrix method with nonlinear sources, it has been shown that the basic mechanism of the enhancement of the third-harmonic generation in coupled microcavities based on porous silicon is the constructive interference of the partial third-harmonic waves that are generated by near-surface layers.     

A stable static universe?

Starting from the assumption that general relativity might be an emergent phenomenon showing up at low energies from an underlying microscopic structure, we reanalyze the stability of a static closed universe filled with radiation. In this scenario, it is sensible to consider the effective general-relativistic configuration as in a thermal contact with an “environment” (the role of the environment can be played, for example, by a higher-dimensional bulk or by the trans-Planckian degrees of freedom). We calculate the free energy at a fixed temperature of this radiation-filled static configuration. Then, by looking at the free energy, we show that the static Einstein configuration is stable under the stated condition.     

Terahertz spectroscopy with a Josephson oscillator and a SINIS bolometer

The voltage response of a thin-film normal-metal hot-electron bolometer based on a SINIS (superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor) structure to the radiation of a high-temperature Josephson junction in the terahertz frequency region was measured. Bolometers were integrated with planar log-periodic and double-dipole antennas, and Josephson junctions were integrated with log-periodic antennas. Measurements showed that the Josephson junction at a temperature of 260 mK was overheated by the transport current, so that its electron temperature exceeded 3 K at a bias voltage of 1 mV. The maximum response of a bolometer with a double-dipole antenna was observed at a frequency of 300 GHz, which agreed well with the calculated value. The Josephson radiation was observed at frequencies up to 1.7 THz. The voltage response of a bolometer reached 4×10⁸ V/W, and the total noise-equivalent power reached 1.5×10^?17 W/Hz^1/2.