Acceleration and slowing down of nonlinear wave packets in a weakly nonuniform plasma

The processes of acceleration of nonlinear waves in a weakly inhomogenous plasma and slowing down due to nonlinear Landau damping are compared. For initially standing waves the time needed for reaching equilibrium between these oppossing tendencies is estimated.     

Formation of convective cells by modulational instability of drift Alfvén waves

A model equation describing drift Alfvén wave with E × B nonlinearity is derived. For a special ordering a nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived, which governs modulational instability of the drift Alfvén wave. Translational invariance is assumed along the magnetic field. The relation between the characteristic scale lengths parallel and perpendicular to the drift flow for the onset of cell formation has been found. The influence of perpendicular ion viscosity is also discussed.     

Silicon-Modified Carbohydrate Surfactants III: Cationic and Anionic Compounds

Ionic siloxanyl-modified carbohydrate surfactants have been synthesized by alkylation/esterification of precursors containing tertiary amino functions. Depending on the reaction strategy, the siloxanyl moiety is part of the alkylating agent or the substrate. Polyhydroxylated tertiary amines can be quaternized by siloxanyl-modified chloroacetic acid esters or epoxysiloxanes in the presence of glacial acetic acid. The esterification of tertiary amines bearing carbohydrate and siloxanyl subunits by cyclic acid anhydrides yields, after neutralization, carboxylate salts. The reaction of hydroxyl groups and sulfamic acid leads to sulfates. The new substances were characterized by means of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, gas chromatography, elemental analysis and their solubility profile. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alfvén Waves in Non-Stationary and Non-Uniform Media: An Exactly Solvable Model

The modulation of Alfvén waves interacting with a non-uniform and non-stationary plasma is considered. The waveforms are allowed to change rapidly. We examine our phenomena by means of exact analytical solutions of the MHD equations in the presence of large amplitude disturbances of the magnetic field and plasma density. In contrast to the WKB approach, we do not have to use limiting assumptions regarding the variations of the background medium. We show that the large amplitude time and space disturbances lead to a new cut-off frequency for Alfvén wave propagation. A rapid reshaping of the Alfvén waveform can also obstruct the resonant interactions between the waves and the plasma particles.     

Digitalisforschung in Berlin-Buch – Rückblick und Ausblick

Der Arzt William Withering führte 1785 mit seinem Buch ?An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses”? Präparate aus Digitalisblättern in die Therapie der Wassersucht (des Herzversagens) ein und erklärte: ?The following remarks consist partially of matter of fact, and partially of opinion. The former will be permanent; the latter must vary with the detection of error, or the improvement of knowledge. I hazard them with diffidence, and hope they will be examined with candour.”? Diese Bemerkungen sind hier vom Seniorautor angeführt, da er die Schwierigkeit sieht, einen ausgewogenen Bericht über sein lebenslanges Forschungsprojekt zur Digitalis-Weiterentwicklung zu bieten. Seine Entscheidung, sich der Digitalisforschung zu widmen, entstand am Krankenbett, an dem er als Arzt die furchtbaren Endstadien des Herzversagens erlebte, in denen für die Kranken keine wirkliche Hilfe mehr möglich ist. Unglücklicherweise paßte dieses Vorhaben nicht in das vom Wissenschaftsministerium der DDR dekretierte Forschungsprogramm, so daß er das Digitalisprojekt zugunsten von Biomembran-Untersuchungen einstellen sollte. Glücklicherweise entging er dem Verdikt durch Etikettierung der digitalisartig wirkenden Steroide als chemische Sonden für die Zellmembran-lokalisierte Na⁺/K⁺ -transportierende ATPase, die er gerade als den Digitalisrezeptor erkannt hatte. Über die Arbeit der Autoren wird hier erstmals im Zusammenhang berichtet. Ziel des Überblicks ist, die Forschung für die Lösung einer großen Aufgabe zu fördern: die Entwicklung von Steroidwirkstoffen zur Verhinderung und Heilung der Herzinsuffizienz.     

Nondestructive compositional depth profiling using variable‐kinetic energy hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and maximum entropy regularization

We discuss the calculation of nondestructive compositional depth profiles from regularization of variable kinetic energy hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VKE‐XPS) data, adapting techniques developed for angle‐resolved XPS. Simulated TiO₂/Si film structures are analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of regularization techniques to the VKE‐XPS data and to determine the optimum choice of regularization function and the number of data points. We find that using a maximum entropy‐like method, when the initial model/prior thickness is similar to the simulated film thickness, provides the best results for cases where prior knowledge of the sample exists. For the simple structures analyzed, we find that only five kinetic energy spectra are necessary to provide a good fit to the data, although in general, the number of spectra will depend on the sample structure and noisiness of the data. The maximum entropy‐like algorithm is then applied to two physical films of TiO₂ deposited on Si. Results suggest interfacial intermixing. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Silicon-Modified Carbohydrate Surfactants II: Siloxanyl Moieties Containing Branched Structures

Branched siloxanyl-modified carbohydrate surfactants have been synthesized by coupling mono-, di- and poly-functional siloxanes to carbohydrate units either via a branched spacer or by attaching a separate modifying element to a straight-chained structure. Hydrophilic as well as extremely hydrophobic elements have been incorporated successfully. Siloxanyl-modified carbohydrates bearing a secondary amino function were alkylated in regioselective reactions by different epoxides ranging from glycidol- to siloxanyl-modified allyl glycidyl ether derivatives. Alternatively, carbohydrate-modified piperazinyl structures yielded cyclic subunits after alkylation. Structures bearing two identical hydrophilic groups are accessible by alkylation of carbohydrate-modified bisamides. The derivatives synthesized were characterized by means of GC, NMR and elemental analysis.     

Heat pinches in electron-heated Tokamak plasmas: theoretical turbulence models versus experiments

Two fluid turbulence models, the drift wave based quasilinear 1.5D Weiland model and the electromagnetic global 3D nonlinear model CUTIE, have been used to account for heat pinch evidence in off-axis modulated electron cyclotron heating experiments in the Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project. Both models reproduce the main features indicating inward heat convection in mildly off-axis cases. In far-off-axis cases with hollow electron temperature profiles, the existence of outward convection was reproduced only by CUTIE. Turbulence mechanisms driving heat convection in the two models are discussed.