Spatially incoherent Fourier digital holography by four-step phase-shifting rotational shearing interferometer and its image quality

Spatially incoherent Fourier digital holography using a rotational shearing interferometer for four-step phase-shifting method is proposed. The previous incoherent Fourier holography using a rotational shearing interferometer [Watanabe and Nomura (Appl. Opt. 54:A18, 2015)] employs the two-step phase-shifting method in the vertical and horizontal polarizations. The reconstructed image contains a large bias term. This paper proposes introduction of two kinds of wave plates in one path of a rotational shearing interferometer for a four-step phase-shifting method. A Fourier hologram is obtained from the four recorded holograms for eliminating the bias term and the twin image. The numerical simulation and the optical experiment demonstrate improvement of the image quality of reconstructed image by the twin image and bias level reduction. Furthermore, the effect of the size of an image sensor on the image quality in rotational shearing interferometer is also investigated by the numerical simulations.     

Stress intensity factor analysis of a three-dimensional interfacial corner between anisotropic bimaterials under thermal stress

A numerical method using a path-independent H-integral based on the conservation integral was developed to analyze the singular stress field of a three-dimensional interfacial corner between anisotropic bimaterials under thermal stress. In the present method, the shape of the corner front is smooth. According to the theory of linear elasticity, asymptotic stress near the tip of a sharp interfacial corner is generally singular as a result of a mismatch of the materials’ elastic constants. The eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions are obtained using the Williams eigenfunction method, which depends on the anisotropic materials’ properties and the geometry of an interfacial corner. The order of the singularity related to the eigenvalue is real, complex or power-logarithmic. The amplitudes of the singular stress terms can be calculated using the H-integral. The stress and displacement around an interfacial corner for the H-integral are obtained using finite element analysis. In this study, a proposed definition of the stress intensity factors of an interfacial corner, which includes those of an interfacial crack and a homogeneous crack, is used to evaluate the singular stress fields. Asymptotic solutions of stress and displacement around an interfacial corner front are uniquely obtained using these stress intensity factors. To prove the accuracy of the present method, several different kinds of examples are shown such as interfacial corners or cracks in three-dimensional structures.     

Rheology of SiO2/(acrylic polymer/epoxy) suspensions. I. Linear viscoelasticity

Linear viscoelastic properties of SiO₂/(AP/EP) suspension with various SiO₂ volume fractions (ϕ) in a blend of acrylic polymer (AP) and epoxy (EP) were investigated at various temperatures (T). The AP/EP contained 70 vol.% of EP. The SiO₂ particles were treated with epoxy silane coupling agent. The effects of the SiO₂ particles are more pronounced in the terminal zone: a transition from viscoelastic liquid (ϕ ≤ 30 vol.%) to viscoelastic solid (ϕ ≥ 40 vol.%) was observed which can be interpreted as a critical gelation occurring at a critical particle content and critical gel temperature. The SiO₂/(AP/EP) systems exhibited a critical gel behavior at ϕ ≅ 35 vol.% and T ≅ 100°C characterized with a power–law relationship between the storage and loss moduli (G ^′ and G ^″) and frequency (ω); G ^′ = G ^″/tan(nπ/2) ∝ ω ⁿ . The critical gel exponent (n) was estimated to be about 0.45. The gelation occurred with increasing T.     

Short-wave stability of a helical vortex tube: the effect of torsion on the curvature instability

In this paper, we study the short-wave stability of a helical vortex tube. The base flow field inside the helical vortex tube is obtained by perturbation expansion assuming that ${\epsilon}$ , the ratio of the core to curvature radius of the helical tube, be small. After reviewing our recent results obtained by the short-wavelength stability analysis, the normal-mode stability analysis is carried out to confirm the results and pursue further details. It is shown that the helical vortex tube suffers from curvature instability found for vortex rings. The growth rate of the curvature instability is obtained both analytically and numerically. The effect of torsion and rotation on the stability appears at the second order of ${\epsilon}$ . It is shown that the effects of rotation on the growth rate found by normal-mode stability analysis converges to those found by short-wavelength stability analysis in the short-wave limit.     

Light minimal supersymmetric standard model Higgs boson scenario and its test at hadron colliders

We show that, in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, the possibility for the lightest CP-even Higgs boson to be lighter than Z boson (as low as about 60 GeV) is, contrary to the usual belief, not yet excluded by the CERN LEP2 Higgs search nor any direct searches for supersymmetric particles at high energy colliders. The characteristic of the light Higgs boson scenario (LHS) is that the ZZh coupling and the decay branching ratio Br(h/A-->bb) are simultaneously suppressed as a result of generic supersymmetric loop corrections. Consequently, the W(+/-)H(-/+)h coupling has to be large due to the sum rule of Higgs couplings to weak gauge bosons. We discuss the potential of the Fermilab Tevatron and B factories to test the LHS, and show that the associated neutral and charged Higgs boson production process, pp-->H(+/-)h(A), can completely probe the LHS at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.     

Evolving genetic code

In 1985, we reported that a bacterium, Mycoplasma capricolum, used a deviant genetic code, namely UGA, a "universal" stop codon, was read as tryptophan. This finding, together with the deviant nuclear genetic codes in not a few organisms and a number of mitochondria, shows that the genetic code is not universal, and is in a state of evolution. To account for the changes in codon meanings, we proposed the codon capture theory stating that all the code changes are non-disruptive without accompanied changes of amino acid sequences of proteins. Supporting evidence for the theory is presented in this review. A possible evolutionary process from the ancient to the present-day genetic code is also discussed.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies on initial oxidation of iron and manganese mono-silicides

Initial oxidation of iron and manganese mono-silicides (FeSi and MnSi) surfaces was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Clean surfaces of these silicides were prepared by fracturing in an ultra high vacuum, and then the fractured surfaces were oxidized by exposing to high-purity oxygen at pressures up to 1.3 Pa. For the clean FeSi surface, positive chemical shifts of the Fe 2p_3/2 and Si 2p peaks from elemental Fe and Si were 0.5 eV and 0.1 eV, respectively. For the clean MnSi surface, a negative chemical shift of the Si 2p peak from elemental Si was 0.1 eV. Iron on the FeSi surface was oxidized at an oxygen pressure of 1.3 Pa, whereas the silicon was oxidized under the pressure of 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa, indicating that oxidation of silicon occurred prior to that of iron. Manganese and silicon on the MnSi were simultaneously oxidized in the range from 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa to 1.3 × 10⁻³ Pa; however, over the pressure of 1.3 Pa, the oxidation of manganese occurs prior to that of silicon. These oxidation behaviors at low oxygen pressures were similar to those of the FeSi and MnSi fractured in air.     

Synchrotron radiation studies of the orientation of thin silicon phthalocyanine dichloride film on HOPG substrate

Thin silicon phthalocyanine dichloride films on HOPG were prepared and the     

Study of detonation initiation in hydrogen/air flow

While extensive studies have been conducted concerning the formation of detonation waves in various combustible gaseous mixtures under static conditions since the 1950s, there is very little experimental work on simple flowing systems. In this study, experiments on the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) of a hydrogen–air flow system were carried out to see the effects of tube diameter, equivalence ratio, and flow types in a premixed and non-premixed flow. Tube diameters used were 25, 50, and 100 mm. The premixed experiments show that the larger tube diameter provides a wider range in run-up distance, reduction of L _DDT/D (ratio of the run-up distance, L _DDT to tube diameter), and expansion of the detonable concentration limit by spreading the cell width. The result of the non-premixed experiments show that similar values of the run-up distance to the premixed experiments are obtained at an equivalence ratio of about 1.0, however, fluctuations of DDT occur near the DDT concentration limit. Under laminar flow conditions at a Reynolds number of less than 2,300, the difference between the two systems could not be observed. However, when the Reynolds number increases towards turbulent conditions, the DDT run-up distance decreases compared to that of static flow conditions. This paper is based on work that was presented at the 21st International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Poitiers, France, July 23–27, 2007.     

DCEMS Study of Thin Oxide Layers and Interface of Stainless Steel Films Deposited by Sputtering Austenitic AISI304

Hyperfine Interactions - Thin stainless steel films were deposited on surface oxidized Si plate using austenitic AISI304 stainless steel as target with a RF magnetron Ar sputtering method. The...