Testing general relativity: Progress,problems, and prospects

Recent results from radar and radio gravity experiments are:

1. Retardation of radar signals: 1.02 +?0.05 (planetary radar), 1.00 +? 0.04 (spacecraft);
2. Deflection of radio waves: 0.99 +? 0.12 (short baseline interferometry), +0.15 1.04 (short baseline interferometry), ?0.10. 0.90 +? 0.05 (short baseline interferometry);
3. Relativistic perihelion advance of Mercury: 0.99 +? 0.03 (planetary radar), 1.00 +? 0.01 (radar plus optical);
4. Time variation of the gravitational constant: (G/G) < 4 ×10^?10/yr (planetary radar). The first three results are expressed as fractions of the corresponding effects predicted by general relativity. In terms of the Eddington-Robertson parameters, the first two are approximately equal to (1+γ)/2 and the third to (2 + 2γ-β)/3. The third result depends on the assumption that the solar gravitational quadrupole moment vanishes; its effects cannot be separated usefully from those of general relativity with the present data set. The uncertainties are as given by the individual experimenters; in some cases they represent formal standard errors, in others an allowance for possible systematic errors is included.

     

Raman and infrared spectra of CdIn2S4 and ZnIn2S4

Four one-phonon Raman lines have been found in CdIn₂S₄ (ZnIn₂S₄) spinels at 92 (72) cm^-1, 186 (184) cm^-1, 246 (253) cm^-1, and 367 (372) cm^-1 for incident photon energies well below the energy gap E_G ～ 2.4 (2.2) eV at 300 K. For photon energies close to E_G, the 367 cm^-1 mode underwent a resonant enhancement in CdIn₂S₄ and four infrared active but Raman forbidden F_1u modes appeared in the CdIn₂S₄ and ZnIn₂S₄ Raman spectra: TO modes at 226 (221) cm^-1 and 309 (312) cm^-1, and LO modes at 274 (272) cm^-1 and 340 (342) cm^-1.     

Radiation damage and decay characteristics of zinc selenide emission bands and their equivalence to zinc sulphide emission bands

Irradiation of zinc selenide at ～ 20°K with electrons capable of displacing zinc atoms results in the production of cathodoluminescence emission bands at 610 and 630 nm. Enhancement of the 630 nm emission band by electron damage requires the presence of copper in the samples. These emissions have been shown to give a peak energy shift to lower energies after excitation, as is characteristic of donor-acceptor pair recombination. It is concluded that the 610 and 630 nm emission bands of zinc selenide are equivalent to the self-activated and copper green emission bands of zinc sulphide. The 530 nm emission band of zinc selenide is not sensitive to electron damage, shows no time shift and is thought to be equivalent to the copper blue emission of zinc sulphide.     

Amination of ethers using chloramine-T hydrate and a copper(I) catalyst

Amination of C-H bonds activated by ether oxygen atoms is facile with chloramine-T as nitrene source and copper(I) chloride in acetonitrile as catalyst. For cyclic ethers the hemiaminal products are generally stable and can be isolated pure. For acyclic ethers, the hemiaminal products, as expected, fragment with elimination of alcohol to yield imines. When activation of benzylic positions is remote through a conjugated system, stable benzylamine derivatives are isolated. Mechanistic studies are consistent with concerted insertion of an electrophilic nitrenoid into the C-H bond in the rate-determining step, though in an asynchronous manner with a more activated substrate.     

Development of [j] in young, midwestern, American children

Beginning at the age of about 14 months, eight children who lived in a rhotic dialect region of the United States were recorded approximately every 2 months interacting with their parents. All were recorded until at least the age of 26 months, and some until the age of 31 months. Acoustic analyses of speech samples indicated that these young children acquired [inverted r] production ability at different ages for [inverted r]'s in different syllable positions. The children, as a group, had started to produce postvocalic and syllabic [inverted r] in an adult-like manner by the end of the recording sessions, but were not yet showing evidence of having acquired prevocalic [inverted r]. Articulatory limitations of young children are posited as a cause for the difference in development of [inverted r] according to syllable position. Specifically, it is speculated that adult-like prevocalic [inverted r] production requires two lingual constrictions: one in the mouth, and the other in the pharynx, while postvocalic and syllabic [inverted r] requires only one oral constriction. Two lingual constrictions could be difficult for young children to produce.     

Molality as a unit of measure for expressing 1H MRS brain metabolite concentrations in vivo

Absolute concentrations of cerebral metabolite in in vivo 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies (1H-MRS) are widely reported in molar units as moles per liter of tissue, or in molal units as moles per kilogram of tissue. Such measurements require external referencing or assumptions as to local water content. To reduce the scan time, avoid assumptions that may be invalid under specific pathologies, and provide a universally accessible referencing procedure, we suggest that metabolite concentrations from 1H-MRS measurements in vivo be reported in molal units as moles per kilogram of tissue water. Using internal water referencing, a two-compartment water model, a simulated brain spectrum for peak identification, and a spectroscopic bi-exponential spin-spin relaxation segmentation technique, we measured the absolute concentrations for the four common 1H brain metabolites: choline (Cho), myo-inositol (mIno), phosphocreatine + creatine (Cr), and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), in the hippocampal region (n = 26) and along the Sylvian fissure (n = 61) of 35 healthy adults. A stimulated echo localization method (20 ms echo time, 10 ms mixing time, 4 s repetition time) yielded metabolite concentrations, uncorrected for metabolite relaxation or contributions from macromolecule resonances, that were expectantly higher than with molar literature values. Along the Sylvian fissure the average concentrations (coefficient of variation (CV)) in mmoles/kg of tissue water were 17.6 (12%) for NAA, 14.2 (9%) for Cr, 3.6 (13%) for Cho, and 13.2 (15%) for mIno. Respective values for the hippocampal region were 15.7 (20%), 14.7 (16%), 4.6 (19%), and 17.7 (26%). The concentrations of the two regions were significantly different (p 相似文献   

Exclusion limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross section from the cryogenic dark matter search

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) employs Ge and Si detectors to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via their elastic-scattering interactions with nuclei while discriminating against interactions of background particles. CDMS data, accounting for the neutron background, give limits on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic-scattering cross section that exclude unexplored parameter space above 10 GeV/c2 WIMP mass and, at >75% C.L., the entire 3sigma allowed region for the WIMP signal reported by the DAMA experiment.