Pseudomorphic growth of a single element quasiperiodic ultrathin film on a quasicrystal substrate

An ultrathin film with a periodic interlayer spacing was grown by the deposition of Cu atoms on the fivefold surface of the icosahedral Al70Pd21Mn9 quasicrystal. For coverages from 5 to 25 monolayers, a distinctive quasiperiodic low-energy electron diffraction pattern is observed. Scanning tunneling microscopy images show that the in-plane structure comprises rows having separations of S=4.5+/-0.2 A and L=7.3+/-0.3 A, whose ratio equals tau=1.618... within experimental error. The sequences of such row separations form segments of terms of the Fibonacci sequence, indicative of the formation of a pseudomorphic Cu film.     

Gauge fields, geometric phases, and quantum adiabatic pumps

Quantum adiabatic pumping of charge and spin between two reservoirs (leads) has recently been demonstrated in nanoscale electronic devices. Pumping occurs when system parameters are varied in a cyclic manner and sufficiently slowly that the quantum system always remains in its ground state. We show that quantum pumping has a natural geometric representation in terms of gauge fields (both Abelian and non-Abelian) defined on the space of system parameters. Tunneling from a scanning tunneling microscope tip through a magnetic atom could be used to demonstrate the non-Abelian character of the gauge field.     

Clathrate formation and dissociation in vapor/water/ice/hydrate systems in SBA-15, sol-gel and CPG porous media, as probed by NMR relaxation, novel protocol NMR cryoporometry, neutron scattering and ab initio quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation

The Gibbs-Thomson effect modifies the pressure and temperature at which clathrates occur, hence altering the depth at which they occur in the seabed. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements as a function of temperature are being conducted for water/ice/hydrate systems in a range of pore geometries, including templated SBA-15 silicas, controlled pore glasses and sol-gel silicas. Rotator-phase plastic ice is shown to be present in confined geometry, and bulk tetrahydrofuran hydrate is also shown to probably have a rotator phase. A novel NMR cryoporometry protocol, which probes both melting and freezing events while avoiding the usual problem of supercooling for the freezing event, has been developed. This enables a detailed probing of the system for a given pore size and geometry and the exploration of differences between hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside pores. These process differences have an important effect on the environment, as they impact on the ability of a marine hydrate system to re-form once warmed above a critical temperature. Ab initio quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics calculations are also being employed to probe the dynamics of liquids in pores at nanometric dimensions.     

Ideal laser-beam propagation through high-temperature ignition Hohlraum plasmas

We demonstrate that a blue (3omega, 351 nm) laser beam with an intensity of 2 x 10(15) W cm(-2) propagates nearly within the original beam cone through a millimeter scale, T(e)=3.5 keV high density (n(e)=5 x 10(20) cm(-3)) plasma. The beam produced less than 1% total backscatter at these high temperatures and densities; the resulting transmission is greater than 90%. Scaling of the electron temperature in the plasma shows that the plasma becomes transparent for uniform electron temperatures above 3 keV. These results are consistent with linear theory thresholds for both filamentation and backscatter instabilities inferred from detailed hydrodynamic simulations. This provides a strong justification for current inertial confinement fusion designs to remain below these thresholds.     

Automated data processing of [1H-decoupled] 13C MR spectra acquired from human brain in vivo

In clinical 13C infusion studies, broadband excitation of 200 ppm of the human brain yields 13C MR spectra with a time resolution of 2-5 min and generates up to 2000 metabolite peaks over 2h. We describe a fast, automated, observer-independent technique for processing [1H-decoupled] 13C spectra. Quantified 13C spectroscopic signals, before and after the administration of [1-13C]glucose and/or [1-13C]acetate in human subjects are determined. Stepwise improvements of data processing are illustrated by examples of normal and pathological results. Variation in analysis of individual 13C resonances ranged between 2 and 14%. Using this method it is possible to reliably identify subtle metabolic effects of brain disease including Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.     

Solving the SUSY flavour and CP problems with non-Abelian family symmetry and supergravity

Can a theory of flavour capable of describing the spectrum of fermion (including neutrino) masses and mixings also contain within it the seeds for a solution of the SUSY flavour and CP problems? We argue that supergravity together with a non-Abelian family symmetry can completely resolve the SUSY flavour and CP problems in a broad class of theories in which family symmetry and CP is spontaneously broken in the flavon sector. We show that a simple superpotential structure can suppress the F-terms of the flavons and GUT scale Higgs fields and that, if this mechanism is implemented, the resulting flavour and CP violation is suppressed and comfortably within the experimental limits. For illustration, we study a specific model based on SU(3) family symmetry, but similar models based on non-Abelian (continuous or discrete) family symmetry will lead to similar results.     

Extremely low vertical-emittance beam in the accelerator test facility at KEK

Electron beams with the lowest, normalized transverse emittance recorded so far were produced and confirmed in single-bunch-mode operation of the Accelerator Test Facility at KEK. We established a tuning method of the damping ring which achieves a small vertical dispersion and small x-y orbit coupling. The vertical emittance was less than 1% of the horizontal emittance. At the zero-intensity limit, the vertical normalized emittance was less than 2.8 x 10(-8) rad m at beam energy 1.3 GeV. At high intensity, strong effects of intrabeam scattering were observed, which had been expected in view of the extremely high particle density due to the small transverse emittance.     

Ultrafast X‐ray imaging of laser–metal additive manufacturing processes

The high‐speed synchrotron X‐ray imaging technique was synchronized with a custom‐built laser‐melting setup to capture the dynamics of laser powder‐bed fusion processes in situ. Various significant phenomena, including vapor‐depression and melt‐pool dynamics and powder‐spatter ejection, were captured with high spatial and temporal resolution. Imaging frame rates of up to 10 MHz were used to capture the rapid changes in these highly dynamic phenomena. At the same time, relatively slow frame rates were employed to capture large‐scale changes during the process. This experimental platform will be vital in the further understanding of laser additive manufacturing processes and will be particularly helpful in guiding efforts to reduce or eliminate microstructural defects in additively manufactured parts.     

Correlation inequalities for the truncated two-point function of an Ising ferromagnet

We establish the following new correlation inequalities for the truncated twopoint function of an Ising ferromagnet in a positive external field: _j ; _l ^T _j ; _k ^T _k ; _l ^T , and _j ; _l ^T _{k K j} ; _k ^T _{k l} , whereK is any set of sites which separatesj froml. The inequalities are also valid for the pure phases with zero magnetic field at all temperatures. Above the critical temperature they reduce to known inequalities of Griffiths and Simon, respectively.NSERC Postgraduate Fellow, 1978–1981. Research supported in part by NSF Grant No. PHY-78-25390-A02.     

Magnetic fields associated with a nuclear magnetic resonance medical imaging system

Measurements were made of magnetic and electric field levels in and around a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging system undergoing a clinical trial. Magnetic field levels ranged from 0.04 tesla (T) in the imaging volume down to about 0.0006 T at the end of the patient table. The peak radio-frequency magnetic field level was 15 amperes per meter (A/m) in the imaging volume, while the rms value was 4.6 A/m. The specific absorption rate resulting from the radio-frequency magnetic field was calculated to be no more than 0.017 watts per kilogram (W/kg). The radio-frequency electric field was detectable only within a few centimeters of the coil assembly, and does not significantly contribute to the specific absorption rate. These exposure levels were much lower than existing guidelines for clinical NMR procedures.