On the lifetime of the kappa meson

The lifetime of a hypotheticalκ meson with low mass, introduced byGlashow andWeinberg in a model for simultaneous breaking ofSU(3) and chiral symmetry, is calculated. The coupling constant of theκ toKπ is obtained by assuming that the divergence of the strangeness changing vector current is dominated by theκ pole.     

Dynamics of the electric field-assisted charge carrier photogeneration in ladder-type poly(para-phenylene) at a low excitation intensity

Electric field-assisted charge carrier photogeneration in a ladder-type methyl-substituted poly(paraphenylene) was investigated by ultrafast absorption spectroscopy at low excitation intensity. The dissociation of excitons into electron-hole pairs occurs from the vibrationally relaxed excited state throughout its lifetime and is caused by the applied electric field, rather than by existence of special "dissociation sites." These findings are of importance for material choice in device applications.     

Editorial

With this volume The European Physical Journal D (EPJ D) continues its tradition of publishing a selection of papers drawn from the bi-annual main conference in the field of cluster physics. The readers should be aware that this is not a conference proceeding in the normal sense of the word, i.e. it is not a collection of all posters and papers presented at this conference. Rather, the guest-editors for this volume of EPJ D have selected only such papers from this conference which comply with the normal high quality standards of a refereed international scientific journal -- in terms of novelty, soundness and scientific quality. The guest-editors have made sure that all papers have been subject to a standard refereeing process which ensures these high standards as expected by the readers of EPJ D. We trust that the specific collection of papers published in this volume will contribute to the future attractiveness of EPJ D especially in the ever growing field of cluster physics.     

On the simulation of textile reinforced concrete using a multi scale approach

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a composite of textile structures made of multi-filament yarns (rovings) within a cementitious matrix. Experimental investigations of textile reinforced concrete specimen show very complex failure mechanisms on different length scales. Therefore mechanical models on the micro, meso and macro scale are introduced. The paper presents a hierarchical material model of TRC on three scales. While on the micro scale the individual filaments of the fiber bundles are distinguished to determine an effective roving behavior, models on the meso scale are used to predict the macroscopic response of the composite material. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of nonreciprocal light propagation in multimode imaging devices

We investigate a structure consisting of a magneto-optic multimode waveguide and two monomode waveguides serving as in- and outlets. The geometrical dimensions of the multimode waveguide can be adjusted such that the guided modes interfere constructively in forward direction and destructively for backward propagation. In this paper we present concepts for a circulator and two isolators based on multimode imaging.