Anomalous mass dependence of glueball exclusive decay rates

Exclusive decays such as G → ππ are studied in the framework ofperturbative QCD. We discuss the possibility of the constituent gluons' virtualness scaling as the glueball mass M_G, which is a picture equivalent to a glueball containing a few slow-moving, heavy gluons. In this case, the decay rate exhibits a pinch singularity which enhances it by a factor of order (M_G²/m_q²)² over the dimensional scaling expectation. This singularity is partially suppressed by Sudakov effects which reduce the enhancement factor to $\text{(M}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>G</mtext>}}{}^2\text{/m}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>q</mtext>}}{}^2\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{2n}}\text{,}\text{where}\text{n ? 0.4}$.     

Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the surface of imidazolium ionic liquids

The surfaces of three imidazolium based ionic liquids with a common anion were studied with angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs): 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (bmim), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium (hmim), and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium (omim) tetrafluoroborates, were meticulously purified and dried under vacuum. Survey and high-resolution spectra were obtained at different take-off angles (0-84 degrees ), thus increasing the surface sensitivity of the measurement. No impurities were detected and the survey spectra at normal emission (0 degrees ) confirmed the stoichiometric composition of the liquids. However, the spectra at take-off angles of 60, 70, 80 and 84 degrees indicated a higher amount of carbon. High resolution spectra of C1s, at these angles, showed an increased amount of aliphatic carbon when compared to the spectra at normal emission. The longer the side chain (R) of the imidazolium cation (Rmim), the larger was the amount of aliphatic carbon detected. Previous studies with other surface sensitive techniques have yielded contradictory conclusions about the surface orientation of the Rmim. We conclude unequivocally that the alkyl chain of the imidazolium ring of the investigated RTILs is oriented away from the liquid. Our study demonstrates the ability of XPS to probe the structure, along with the composition, of the free liquid surface by comparing signals from different penetration depths.     

Dynamics of dewetting at the nanoscale using molecular dynamics

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are used to model the dewetting of solid surfaces by partially wetting thin liquid films. Two levels of solid-liquid interaction are considered that give rise to large equilibrium contact angles. The initial length and thickness of the films are varied over a wide range at the nanoscale. Spontaneous dewetting is initiated by removing a band of molecules either from each end of the film or from its center. As observed experimentally and in previous simulations, the films recede at an initially constant speed, creating a growing rim of liquid with a constant receding dynamic contact angle. Consistent with the current understanding of wetting dynamics, film recession is faster on the more poorly wetted surface to an extent that cannot be explained solely by the increase in the surface tension driving force. In addition, the rates of recession of the thinnest films are found to increase with decreasing film thickness. These new results imply not only that the mobility of the liquid molecules adjacent to the solid increases with decreasing solid-liquid interactions, but also that the mobility adjacent to the free surface of the film is higher than in the bulk, so that the effective viscosity of the film decreases with thickness.     

Synthesis and surface structure of thymine-functionalized, self-assembled monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles

Thymine-functionalized SAM-protected gold nanoparticles with diameters of 2.2 +/- 0.3 nm and 7.0 +/- 1.0 nm were prepared via a modified two-phase transfer method. UV-vis spectra showed that particle size and solvent type, as well as surface charge, influenced the gold surface plasmon band absorption, along with the interaction between thymine terminal groups in the solution. Although the bulky thymine end groups interacted strongly on the particle surface, a well-ordered monolayer of thyminethiol derivatives with a long hydrocarbon chain was formed on the particle surface, exhibiting an ordered, all-trans conformation of the methylene backbone, similar to those of corresponding self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) generated from normal alkanethiols. A larger particle size and a longer reaction time facilitated the formation of more ordered thymine-terminated thiol SAMs. Thermal analysis indicated that reorientation of the SAMs during heat treatment occurred by two processes, caused possibly by the separate recrystallization of the hydrocarbon long chains and thymine units. More ordered SAMs with a higher thermal stability were formed on the larger particle surfaces when compared with those on the smaller ones. A greater density of molecular packing was found on the smaller particle surfaces. However, SAMs formed on the larger gold particles resembled 2D SAMs on the smooth, flat gold surfaces. XPS results confirmed the thymine structure as well as the chemical bond between gold and sulfur. One type of adsorbed sulfur species was observed for the smaller particles and two for the larger ones, but a slightly higher binding energy of thiolate was found for the smaller ones.     

Asymmetric wetting hysteresis on chemical defects

Using the Wilhelmy plate technique, the role of chemical defects in hysteretic wetting behavior was investigated. The wetting and dewetting work differ significantly, depending on the defect energy (i.e., high or low energy with respect to the matrix). For one, or an array of high-energy defects, advancing measurements departed from equilibrium theory, while the receding data were in close agreement. Conversely for low-energy defects, only the receding measurements showed significant departure from theory. We propose that distinct wetting mechanisms for high- and low-energy defects explain the phenomenon of asymmetric hysteresis, where the advancing or receding contact angle deviates more strongly from the equilibrium angle.     

Gauge equivalence and the inverse spectral problem for the magnetic Schrödinger operator on the torus

We study the inverse spectral problem for the Schrödinger operator H on the two-dimensional torus with even magnetic field B(x) and even electric potential V(x). Guillemin [11] proved that the spectrum of H determines B(x) and V(x). A simple proof of Guillemin’s results was given by the authors in [3]. In the present paper, we consider gauge equivalent classes of magnetic potentials and give conditions which imply that the gauge equivalence class and the spectrum of H determine the magnetic field and the electric potential. We also show that, generically, the spectrum and the magnetic field determine the “extended” gauge equivalence class of the magnetic potential. The proof is a modification of that in [3] with some corrections and clarifications.