Charged particle spectra in16O induced nuclear collisions at the CERN SPS

Charged particle multiplicity distributions and pseudo-rapidity density distributions from¹⁶O induced nuclear collisions at 200 and 60A GeV are presented. The data were taken, using a minimumbias trigger, with the WA80 set-up at the CERN SPS. In this presentation we focus on how the yield of charged particles depends on the projectile energy, the mass number of the target nucleus and the energy measured in a uranium-plastic sampling calorimeter covering angles close to zero degrees. The data are compared to simulations from the event generator FRITIOF.     

Simulation of critical fluid Rayleigh linewidth behavior by a normal fluid system

The dynamic droplet model of a critical fluid provides a simple physical model of a critical fluid. We use this to model an emulsion which mimics the Rayleigh linewidth behavior of a critical fluid in the nonhydrodynamic regime.     

Reversible transformations of gold nanoparticle morphology

Herein is reported a metamorphosis taking place in a gold nanosized system. The observed phenomenon of shape and size transformations was found to be completely reversible. Unlike most procedures in the literature where shape and size control occur in the synthetic step by adding growth- and shape-controlling agents such as surfactants or polymers, in this system postsynthetic changes in shape and size can be carried out simply by changing the ratio of reactive, competing reagents, more specifically, alkylthiols versus tetralkylammonium salts. Interestingly, the transfer of gold metal occurs (large prismatic particles to small particles and vice versa) under the influence of reagents that do not cause such interactions with bulk gold. All intermediate steps of the morphology change were observed using HRTEM and electron diffraction. The processes of breaking down and "welding back" solid metal nanoparticles occur under mild conditions and are remarkable examples of the unique chemical properties of nanomaterials. The described process is expected to be relevant to other nanoscale systems where similar structural circumstances could occur.     

Quantitative information about the hydrogen bond strength in dilute aqueous solutions of methanol from the temperature dependence of the Raman spectra of the decoupled OD stretch

We have obtained quantitative information about the hydrogen bond strength in pure water and in dilute aqueous solutions of methanol by analyzing the temperature dependence of Raman spectra of the decoupled OD stretch from 21 to 160 degrees C with the hydrogen bond energy dispersion method. A minimum at 2440 cm(-1) assigned to strong icelike hydrogen bonds and a maximum at 2650 cm(-1) due to maximally (but not completely) broken hydrogen bonds result in all cases. The energy of the minimum decreases upon addition of methanol due to formation of stronger water-methanol hydrogen bonds, whereas the energy of the maximum increases because water hydrogen atoms in the vicinity of the methyl group might participate in "more broken" hydrogen bonds than in bulk water.     

The effect of double scattering on critical fluid Rayleigh linewidth measurements

We apply recent work on the intensity correlation function of light double scattered from a system of brownian diffusing balls to the case of a fluid near the critical point. We evaluate the relative intensities and intensity correlation times of the polarized and depolarized components of the double scattered light as a function of k₀ξ. We compare these correlation times to those found for single scattering and find that the more intense polarized component of the double scattered light has a correlation time nearly equal to the singly scattered light in the critical region where $\text{k}{}_0\text{ξ ? 8}$.     

The Anisotropic Hooke's Law for Cancellous Bone and Wood

A method of data analysis for a set of elastic constant measurements is applied to data bases for wood and cancellous bone. For these materials the identification of the type of elastic symmetry is complicated by the variable composition of the material. The data analysis method permits the identification of the type of elastic symmetry to be accomplished independent of the examination of the variable composition. This method of analysis may be applied to any set of elastic constant measurements, but is illustrated here by application to hardwoods and softwoods, and to an extraordinary data base of cancellous bone elastic constants. The solid volume fraction or bulk density is the compositional variable for the elastic constants of these natural materials. The final results are the solid volume fraction dependent orthotropic Hooke's law for cancellous bone and a bulk density dependent one for hardwoods and softwoods. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detecting a first-order transition in the QCD phase diagram with baryon–baryon correlations

We suggest baryon–baryon correlations as an experimentally accessible signature for a first-order phase transition between a baryon-rich phase, like quarkyonic, and a baryon-suppressed hadronic phase in the QCD phase diagram. We examine the consequences of baryon-rich bubble formation in an expanding medium and show how the two-particle correlations vary in the transverse and longitudinal direction depending on the strength of the radial flow, the bubble temperature, and the time when the baryons are emitted.     

Avoided-crossing-based liquid-crystal photonic-bandgap notch filter

We demonstrate a highly tunable deep notch filter realized in a liquid-crystal photonic-bandgap (LCPBG) fiber. The filter is realized without inducing a long-period grating in the fiber but simply by filling a solid-core photonic-crystal fiber with a liquid crystal and exploiting avoided crossings within the bandgap of the LCPBG fiber. The filter is demonstrated experimentally and investigated using numerical simulations. A high degree of tuning of the spectral position of the deep notch is also demonstrated.