Viscoelasticity of a Fermi liquid

Infinite homogeneous Fermi systems in the degenerate regime are described by the Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation. The eigenvalue problem associated with the linearized collision operator is solved analytically. Initial value problems are studied with the help of the spectral representation of the time evolution operator. The dynamic transport coefficients of the system can then be calculated in the framework of linear response theory. As an example the viscoelastic behaviour of the Fermi liquid is related to the relaxation of a quadrupole deformation in momentum space. In this connection also the coupling of the driving field to 2p-2h excitations will be discussed. The theory is applied to normal liquid³He and to nuclear matter.     

The influence of solvent polarity and metalation on energy and electron transfer in porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterotrimers

Heteroporphyrin and -phthalocyanine arrays represent an attractive class of light harvesters and charge-separation systems exhibiting an easy route of synthesis and high chemical stability. In the present work, we report the results of photophysical investigations of two novel non-sandwich-type porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterotriads, in which two meso-tetraphenylporphyrin rings (H2TPP or ZnTPP) are linked to the central silicon atom of a silicon(IV) phthalocyanine core. It was found that the photophysical properties of the triads (H2Tr and ZnTr) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and toluene are strongly affected by two different types of interaction between the porphyrin (P) and the phthalocyanine (Pc) parts, namely excitation energy transfer (EET) and photoinduced charge transfer. The first process results in appearance of the Pc fluorescence when the P-part is initially excited, and plays a dominant role in fast depopulation of the first excited singlet state of the P moiety. If the first excited singlet state of the Pc-part is populated (either directly or via EET), it undergoes fast depopulation by hole transfer (HT) to the charge-separated (CS) state. In polar DMF, the CS state is the lowest excited state, and the charge recombination occurs directly to the ground state. Using transient absorption spectroscopy, the lifetime of the CS state was estimated to be 30 and 20 ps for H2Tr and ZnTr, respectively. In nonpolar toluene, the energy gap between the first excited singlet state of the Pc-part and the CS state is very small, and back HT occurs in both triads, resulting in appearance of "delayed fluorescence" of the Pc-part with a decay time similar to the lifetime of the CS state (190 and 280 ps for H2Tr and ZnTr, respectively). Since the energy of the CS state of ZnTr in toluene is lower than that of H2Tr, the probability of back HT for ZnTr is lower. This was clearly proved by decay-associated fluorescence spectral measurements.     

Recent methods for the determination of peroxide-based explosives

In the last few years, the need to determine peroxide-based explosives in solid samples and air samples has resulted in the development of a series of new analytical methods for triacetonetriperoxide (TATP, acetone peroxide) and hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine (HMTD). In this review, after a short introduction describing the state of the art in the field, these new analytical methods are critically discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods as well as on chromatographic techniques with selective detection schemes. The potential of these methods to analyse unknown solid samples that might contain one or more of the explosives and to analyse peroxide-based explosives in air is evaluated.     

Oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance: The effects of remote unsaturation on 17o-chemical shifts in polycyclic ethers

Natural-abundance ¹⁷O-NMR spectra of 7-oxanorbornane exo-3-oxatricyclo [3.2.1.0^2.4]octane and their unsaturated derivatives (endo cyclic and exocyclic double bonds) have been measured. Linear correlation laws were observed for $\text{δ}{}_{\mathrm{o}}\text{δ}{}_{\mathrm{c}}$ of these ethers/corresponding hydrocarbons. The “cyclization shifts” for δ_o in ethers were not correlated by the “cyclization shifts” for δ_c of the corresponding hydrocarbons.     

The anomalous magnetic moment of the electron

The value of the electron's magnetic moment is a fundamental quantity in physics. Its deviation from the value expected from Dirac theory has given enormous impetus to the field of quantum theory and especially to quantum electrodynamics (QED) as the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In fact, the measured values both for free and for bound electrons are explained by corresponding QED calculations on the part per trillion and part per billion level of accuracy, respectively. This agreement is amongst the best known in physics today. In turn, it allows highly precise determinations of related fundamental constants like the fine structure constant α or the electron mass. The present article discusses the application of the continuous Stern–Gerlach effect to the precise measurement of magnetic moments, especially of the electron bound in highly charged ions and possible tests of calculations in the framework of QED of bound states. Also, a test of QED in a more general approach by the comparison of values for the fine structure constant derived from different measurements, will be discussed.     

Influence of Pt thickness on magnetization reversal processes in (Pt/Co)3 multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy

We present a detailed study of the magnetization reversal in perpendicularly magnetized (Pt/Co)₃ multilayers with different values of the platinum interlayer thickness t_Pt. To study the magnetization reversal in our samples we combined measurements of relaxation curves with the direct visualization of domain structures. Magnetization reversal was dominated by domain wall propagation for t_Pt=1 nm and by domain nucleation for t_Pt=0.2 nm, while a mixed process was observed for t_Pt=0.8 nm. We interpret our results within the framework of a model of thermally activated reversal where a distribution of activation energy barriers is taken into account. The reversal process was correlated with the energy barrier distribution.