Assessment of thermal expansion coefficient of methylsilsesquioxane thin film

For the methylsilsesquioxane film whose optical birefringence is almost zero, it was recently reported that its vertical thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) was approximately one order of magnitude larger than the lateral CTE. Though the birefringence is not an absolute predictor of anisotropic behavior, the discrepancy in both the CTEs was so remarkable that it was essential to investigate whether the anisotropy was intrinsic property or not. If the effect of Poisson's ratio is considered in the calculation of the vertical CTE and when elastic modulus measured by surface acoustic wave spectroscopy is used in the assessment of the lateral CTE, both the CTEs are coincident with each other. Therefore, it can be concluded that the discrepancy in the CTEs can be attributed to a higher in‐plane polymer chain orientation but it can also arise from the misleadingly assumed modulus and Poisson's ratio. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3109–3120, 2006     

Spectral hole burning of photosynthetic antenna of blue-green algae

Photosystem II core antenna of blue-green algae Synechococcus isolated in gel was studied by optical hole burning spectroscopy at 4·2 K. Persistent holes were burned into fluorescence spectra throughout the region 680–696 nm. The hole width extrapolated to zero burning fluence yielded a value 1·0±0·2 cm^–1. A theoretical interpretation of the hole profile in fluorescence is presented. The dependence of saturated hole depth on burning wavelength is related to inhomogeneous site distribution function.Authors would like to thank F. Vácha from the Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Nature Sciences, Charles University, for the preparation of the samples.     

Influence of focusing depth on the microfabrication of waveguides inside silica glass by femtosecond laser direct writing

We studied the influence of focusing depth on the index change threshold and damage threshold of silica glass irradiated by a focused 120 fs laser beam. Both thresholds increased with the focusing depth. The aspect ratio of the waveguide cross section can be selected by changing the focusing depth. A 5 mm long waveguide was written at the depth of 2100 μm, which was single mode at 632.8 nm and exhibited propagation loss of 0.56 dB/cm. The refractive index change was calculated to be ∼2.47×10^-3. The influence of the focusing depth should be considered in multi-layer devices as shown in the fabrication of a 3×3 waveguide array. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.82.Et; 81.05.Kf     

Prompt gamma cold neutron activation analysis applied to biological materials

Summary Cold neutrons at the external neutron guide laboratory (ELLA) of the KFA Jülich are used to demonstrate their profitable application for multielement characterization of biological materials. The set-up and experimental conditions of the Prompt Gamma Cold Neutron Activation Analysis (PGCNAA) device is described in detail. Results for C, H, N, S, K, B, and Cd using synthetic standards and the “ratio” technique for calculation are reported for several reference materials and prove the method to be reliable and complementary with respect to the elements being determined by INAA. IAEA fellow at the KFA from 6. 3. 91 to 2. 9. 91 on contract No. VIE/9016R.     

Representations of symmetric groups with maximal dimension

Results of numerical modeling connected with the study of the asymptotics of representations of the symmetric group S_N for largeN which are of maximal dimension are given.Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov Leningradskogo Otdeleniya Matematicheskogo Instituta im. V. A. Steklova, Akad. Nauk SSSR, Vol. 172, pp. 160–166, 1989.     

Nonlinear magneto-optical diffraction by two-dimensional magnetic superstructures

Nonlinear (at the second-harmonic frequency of the incident light) optical reflection by two-dimensional magnetic superstructures is theoretically studied. A square lattice of magnetic dots and a hexagonal lattice of magnetic bubbles (cylindrical magnetic domains) are considered. Because the periods of these structures are comparable with the wavelengths of the fundamental and the second-harmonic radiation, it would be possible to observe diffraction at the second-harmonic frequency. A polarization analysis of nonlinearly diffracted radiation is performed and the numbers of observable diffraction orders for the above structures are estimated. Received: 10 January 2002 / Published online: 11 June 2002     

FT-EPR and HPLC study of the mechanism of 4-chlorophenol photolysis

The mechanism of 4-chlorophenol (4CP) photolysis was investigated with the aid of Fourier Transform Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (FT-EPR) and pulsed-laser photolysis combined with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) detection-of stable (diamagnetic) products. With FT-EPR transient free radicals produced by pulsed-laser excitation of solutions of 4CP in alcohols could be identified. Time profiles of the FT-EPR spectra provided information on reaction kinetics and Chemically Induced Dynamic, Electron Polarization (CIDEP) effects. It was found that 4CP photolysis in alcohols leads to the simultaneous formation of the phenoxyl radical and radicals produced by hydrogen abstraction from the solvent. CIDEP patterns establish that these radicals are formed in a reaction sequence involving a triplet state precursor and radical pair intermediate. Results of earlier transient optical absorption measurements indicate that the triplet precursor must be the carbene 4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene. This assignment is supported by the finding that photolysis of quinone diazide in a hydrogen-donating solvent gives the same free radical products as those obtained from 4CP. The formation of the phenoxyl radical intermediate accounts for the finding that photolysis of deoxygenated solutions of 4CP in alcohols gives phenol as stable diamagnetic product. By contrast, photolysis of aerated and deoxygenated aqueous solutions of 4CP produces benzoquinone and hydroquinone as primary products, respectively.     

Nuclear effects in the hadroproduction and photoproduction ofJ/ψ

Hadroprduction ofJ/ψ in π^? nucleus collisions is studied in the context of the colour singlet model using nuclear structure functions from three different models of the EMC effect. We conclude that it is possible to understand the data on the large transverse momentum (p _T ) and small Feynmanx (x _F ) of theJ/ψ in terms of the nuclear dependence of structure functions alone. We further show that these data can be used to distinguish between different models of the EMC effect, and that a study of distributions in various kinematic variables in photoproduction ofJ/ψ should be able to very effectively supplement the information obtained from hadroproduction experiments.