Kramers-Kronig analysis on the real refractive index of porous media in the terahertz spectral range

We present a terahertz time-domain experimental technique for the detection of scattering from porous media. The method for detection of the scattering enables one to make a decision when Fresnel or Kramers-Kronig (K-K) analysis can be applied for a porous medium. In this study the real refractive index of a tablet is calculated using the conventional K-K dispersion relation and also using a singly subtractive K-K relation, which are applied to the extinction coefficient obtained from the Beer-Lambert law. The advantage of the K-K analysis is that one gets estimates both for absolute refractive index and also dispersion of the porous tablet, whereas Fresnel analysis provides only the absolute value of the index.     

Engineering complex topological memories from simple Abelian models

In three spatial dimensions, particles are limited to either bosonic or fermionic statistics. Two-dimensional systems, on the other hand, can support anyonic quasiparticles exhibiting richer statistical behaviors. An exciting proposal for quantum computation is to employ anyonic statistics to manipulate information. Since such statistical evolutions depend only on topological characteristics, the resulting computation is intrinsically resilient to errors. The so-called non-Abelian anyons are most promising for quantum computation, but their physical realization may prove to be complex. Abelian anyons, however, are easier to understand theoretically and realize experimentally. Here we show that complex topological memories inspired by non-Abelian anyons can be engineered in Abelian models. We explicitly demonstrate the control procedures for the encoding and manipulation of quantum information in specific lattice models that can be implemented in the laboratory. This bridges the gap between requirements for anyonic quantum computation and the potential of state-of-the-art technology.     

A high sampling rate digital holographic imager instrument for the in situ measurements of hydrometeors

A novel digital in-line holographic imaging instrument designed for acquiring properties of individual hydrometeors in situ is presented. The instrument has a large measurement volume of 670 cm³. This combined with fast frame rate imaging and software controlled multi-exposure capabilities results in a representative sampling of rain and snowfall events. Hydrometeors are measured and analyzed from the in-focus images with microscopic resolution, and their 3D locations inside the measurement volume are determined. The instrument is designed to operate in cold climates and to produce reliable measurements also during strong winds. The imaging rate of the instrument was designed to be adequately high to observe the dynamic nature of rain and snow falls. By recording multi-exposure holograms, the effective frame rate can be increased. This allows the measurements of the velocities of the fast-falling hydrometeors. The instrument and the hologram processing are described; as well as results from laboratory tests and the first field measurements are shown. As a result, the resolving power of the instrument was measured to vary between 11 and 18 microns inside the measurement volume near the center of the field-of-view. Velocity vectors were measured both from multi-exposure and high frame rate holograms. The measured velocities ranged from 0.1 to 4 m/s. In addition, the projections of a flat-shaped and rotating snowflake imaged at different locations inside the measurement volume demonstrated the possibility to estimate the shape of the hydrometeor from multiple viewing angles.     

Developments in WTDM technology for high-capacity optical studio networks

This paper reviews results achieved in high-capacity optical networking for television studios under RACE projects 1036 and 2001. A network based on wavelength- and time-division multiplexing (WTDM) has been demonstrated, which, using 16 wavelengths, provides a total capacity of 39.8 Gbit s^-1. We summarize previously reported results obtained in the system test-bed, which demonstrate the distribution of uncompressed digital video signals ranging from PAL at 142 Mbit s^-1 to HDTV at 1.15 Gbit s^-1. The process of further developing this technology for a pilot installation has established that it will be applicable not only to central routeing within a television studio but also to resilient network provision and the interconnection of remote sites. We review how network resilience is achieved by multiple interconnected star architectures and outline how recent results with integrated star couplers suggest that these designs can be delivered at low cost. We report new experiments demonstrating an optically amplified network over a commercially installed 36-km link, thus confirming the feasibility of a long-reach routeing system. We also report results illustrating how lithium niobate devices can perform optical switching on the wavelength multiplex and thus offer potential advantages in system transparency and throughput. Our conclusion is that we have confirmed the feasibility of the WTDM concept and demonstrated its potential for wider application.GEC-Marconi Defence SystemsThomson-CSFNorthern Telecom Europe     

Effect of Droplet Size and Atomization on Spray Formation: A Priori Study Using Large-Eddy Simulation

The paper is mainly focused to the vast number of researchers who work within direct injection (DI) engine fuel spray simulations. The most common simulation framework today within the community is the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) approach together with the Lagrangian Particle Tracking (LPT) method. In fact, this study is one of the first studies where high resolution LES/LPT diesel spray modeling is considered. The potential of LES to deepen the present day multidimensional LPT fuel spray simulations is discussed. Spray evolution is studied far from an injector by modeling a spray as a particle laden jet (PLJ). The effect of d on mixing in non-atomizing and atomizing sprays is thoroughly investigated at jet inlet Reynolds number Re?=?10⁴ and Mach number Ma?=?0.3. Based on and justified by rather recent and also quite old ideas, novel and compact views on droplet breakup in turbulent flows are pointed out from the literature. We use LES/LPT to illustrate that even in a low Weber number flow (We?<?13) the droplet breakup modeling may need considerable attention in contrast to what is typically assumed in the present-day breakup models. LES and LPT techniques are first applied to essentially confirm certain expected droplet size effects on spray shape in non-atomizing monodisperse sprays. In the simulations LES e.g. produces an expected turbulent dispersion pattern that depends on droplet diameter (d) without a droplet dispersion model in contrast to RANS. A new compact droplet breakup model is formulated and tested for droplets that break with a natural resonance time rate according to the Poisson process. As a result of the study: 1) the analysis gives a rigorous and enriching proof of currently existing views on droplet size effects on mixing, and 2) the presented a priori analysis points out the importance of modeling the resonance breakup even at a low We.     

Synthesis of Fmoc-protected trans-4-methylproline

Fmoc-protected trans-4-methylproline was synthesized starting from D-serine. The chiral scaffold of serine in the form of olefinated Garner's aldehyde 3 was used to control the diastereoselective formation of the new stereocenter on the hydrogenation of allylic alcohol 4. The diastereoselectivity (syn/anti ratio) of the process was 86:14, attained with Raney nickel. Hydrogen migration seems not to be the sole factor lowering the diastereoselectivity, as nickel is known not to promote double-bond migration. Instead, the moderate stereocontrol is attributed to the mobility of the side chain of 4, which allows the attack of hydrogen on both faces of the olefin (open transition state). A series of transformations led to ring precursor 8, which after recrystallization afforded the syn diastereoisomer in dr = 95:5. Protected trans-4-methylproline 11 was obtained from 8 in a straightforward fashion.     

Phénylation d'alcools allyliques acycliques : II. Regioselectivite du transfert d'hydrogene

PdCl₂, HNaCO₃-catalysed phenylation of deuterium-labelled allylic butenols, a Heck type reaction, proceeds by a highly regioselective 1,2-hydrogen shift $\text{via}$ a Wacker type intermediate. No decomplexed enol was formed during this reaction.     

Computer-assisted identification of multitrace electrophoretic patterns in differential display experiments

Modern multicapillary devices allow researchers to address increasingly complex biological questions involving comparisons of gene expression patterns across electrophoretic samples under various experimental conditions. As labor-intensive visual evaluation of the electrophoretic results is often the bottleneck of large-scale differential display (DD) studies, one way to further streamline this process is to focus only on a highly compressed list of the most potential patterns that are likely to provide reliable findings. To enable the identification of such candidate patterns, we present a computer-assisted method for objective ranking of multitrace peak patterns in DD experiments. The fundamental component of the multitrace pattern ranking method (MRANK) is the multiple alignment algorithm that allows for discovery of patterns involving sets of peak complexes from various electrophoretic samples. A score value is attached to each detected pattern which characterizes how accurately the pattern resembles the desired pattern query, freely defined by the researcher. The ranked pattern list produced by MRANK is validated against visual evaluation in terms of detecting and ranking a group of relevant patterns in a DD analysis of T-helper cell differentiation. We demonstrate high enrichment of the desired patterns on top of the score-ranked list (e.g., 90% of the visually selected patterns are discovered by looking through the first 3% of patterns in the ranked list of all patterns). The results suggest that a substantial amount of manual labor can be saved without compromising the accuracy of the findings by prioritizing the patterns according to MRANK output in the visual confirmation phase.