Structures of hydrocarbon hydrates during formation with and without inhibitors

The formation of hydrates from a methane-ethane-propane mixture is more complex than with single gases. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), we have investigated the structural properties of natural gas hydrates crystallized in the presence of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs), two commercial inhibitors and two biological ice inhibitors, or antifreeze proteins (AFPs). NMR analyses indicated that hydrate cage occupancy was at near saturation for controls and most inhibitor types. Some exceptions were found in systems containing a new commercial KHI (HIW85281) and a recombinant plant AFP, suggesting that these two inhibitors could impact the kinetics of cavity formation. NMR analysis confirmed that the hydrate composition varies during crystal growth by kinetic effects. Strikingly, the coexistence of both structures I (sI) and II (sII) were observed in NMR spectra and PXRD profiles. It is suggested that sI phases may form more readily from liquid water. Real time PXRD monitoring showed that sI hydrates were less stable than sII crystals, and there was a conversion to the stable phase over time. Both commercial KHIs and AFPs had an impact on hydrate metastability, but transient sI PXRD intensity profiles indicated significantly different modes of interaction with the various inhibitors and the natural gas hydrate system.     

Working group report: Heavy-ion physics and quark-gluon plasma

This is the report of Heavy Ion Physics and Quark-Gluon Plasma at WHEPP-09 which was part of Working Group-4. Discussion and work on some aspects of quark-gluon plasma believed to have created in heavy-ion collisions and in early Universe are reported.     

Une classification des flots solutions d'une EDS

Under general hypotheses, we show that the flows of kernels can be associated to a stochastic differential equation (SDE). We also show a classification theorem of the solutions of the SDE: they can be obtained through filtering the coalescing solution with respect to a sub-noise containing the white noise driving the SDE. The example of the isotropic flows is studied. To cite this article: Y. Le Jan, O. Raimond, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Quantum space-times in the year 2002

We review certain emergent notions on the nature of space-time from noncommutative geometry and their radical implications. These ideas of space-time are suggested from developments in fuzzy physics, string theory, and deformation quantization. The review focuses on the ideas coming from fuzzy physics. We find models of quantum space-time like fuzzy S ⁴ on which states cannot be localized, but which fluctuate into other manifolds like CP³. New uncertainty principles concerning such lack of localizability on quantum space-times are formulated. Such investigations show the possibility of formulating and answering questions like the probability of finding a point of a quantum manifold in a state localized on another one. Additional striking possibilities indicated by these developments is the (generic) failure of CPT theorem and the conventional spin-statistics connection. They even suggest that Planck’s ‘constant’ may not be a constant, but an operator which does not commute with all observables. All these novel possibilities arise within the rules of conventional quantum physics, and with no serious input from gravity physics.     

Coherence-preserving trap architecture for long-term control of giant Ryberg atoms

We present a way to trap a single Rydberg atom, make it long-lived, and preserve an internal coherence over time scales reaching into the minute range. We propose to trap using carefully designed electric fields, to inhibit the spontaneous emission in a nonresonant conducting structure, and to maintain the internal coherence through a tailoring of the atomic energies using an external microwave field. We thoroughly identify and account for many causes of imperfection in order to verify at each step the realism of our proposal.     

On self attracting/repelling diffusionsDiffusions auto attractives/repulsives

We present an almost sure ergodic theorem for a class of self-interacting diffusions on a compact Riemannian manifold. To cite this article: M. Benaim, O. Raimond, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 335 (2002) 541–544.