Observation of spin-orbit splitting in lambda single-particle states

The spin-orbit splitting of Lambda single-particle states in (13)(Lambda)C was measured. The 13C(K-,pi(-))(13)(Lambda)C reaction was used to excite both the 1/2(-) and 3/2(-) states simultaneously, which have predominantly 12C(0(+)) x p(Lambda) configuration. gamma rays from the states to the ground state were measured in coincidence with the pi(-)'s, by which ls splitting was found to be 152+/-54(stat)+/-36(syst) keV. The value is 20-30 times smaller than exhibited by the ls splitting in the nuclear shell model. This value gives us new insight into the YN interaction.     

Chromium(VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by nonlinear optical spectroscopy

Organic adlayers can significantly alter the interactions of environmentally relevant surfaces with their surroundings. We present the first second harmonic and broadband sum frequency generation (SHG and BBSFG) study that illustrates how organic surface functional groups can control the mobility of the priority pollutant chromium(VI) in soil: Cr(VI) binds to ester- and acid-functionalized surfaces but not to alkane-functionalized surfaces. The implications with respect to toxic metal transport across organic adlayers at liquid-solid interfaces are that aqueous Cr(VI) can be retained by polar groups common in biopolymers but not by hydrophobic groups common in surfactants.     

Transport and reaction in microscale segmented gas-liquid flow

We use micro particle image velocimetry (microPIV) and fluorescence microscopy techniques to characterize microscale segmented gas-liquid flow at low superficial velocities relevant for chemical reactions with residence times of up to several minutes. Different gas-liquid microfluidic channel networks of rectangular cross section are fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) using soft lithography techniques. The recirculation motion in the liquid segments associated with gas-liquid flows as well as the symmetry characteristics of the recirculations are quantified for straight and meandering channel networks. Even minor surface roughness effects and the compressibility of the gas phase induce loss of symmetry and enhance mixing across the centerline in straight channels. Mixing is further accelerated in meandering channels by the periodic switching of recirculation patterns across the channel center. We demonstrate a new, piezoelectrically activated flow injection technique for determining residence time distributions (RTDs) of fluid elements in multiphase microfluidic systems. The results confirm a narrowed liquid phase RTD in segmented flows in comparison to their single-phase counterparts. The enhanced mixing and narrow RTD characteristics of segmented gas-liquid flows are applied to liquid mixing and in sol-gel synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles.     

Stereocontrol within confined spaces: enantioselective photooxidation of enecarbamates inside zeolite supercages

Dye-exchanged Y zeolite is shown to be an effective medium to control the stereoselectivity in the photooxygenation of chiral oxazolidinone-functionalized Z/E-1 enecarbamates. An enantioselectivity (ee) as high as 80% was observed in the methyldesoxybenzoin (MDB) product, obtained in the methylene-blue-exchanged NaY zeolite at room temperature. The efficacy of the asymmetric induction in the MDB product depends on the Z/E geometry of the alkene, the Z-isomer being more effective than the corresponding E-isomer. The stereoselectivity is rationalized in terms of conformational effects through cationic interactions between the zeolite and the substrate.     

Bioimprinted QCM sensors for virus detection—screening of plant sap

Surface imprinting techniques on polymer-coated quartz-crystal microbalances (QCM) have been used to detect tobacco mosaic viruses (TMV) in aqueous media. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), tailor-made by self organisation of monomers around a template (TMV), were generated directly on the gold electrodes. Imprinted trenches on the polymer surface mimicking the shape and surface functionality of the virus serve as recognition sites for re-adsorption after washing out of the template. The sensors are applicable to TMV detection ranging from 100 ng mL^–1 to 1 mg mL^–1 within minutes. Furthermore, direct measurements without time-consuming sample preparation are possible in complex matrices such as tobacco plant sap.Dedicated to Professor Dr. W. Fresenius on the occasion of his 90th birthday     

Cumulants in noncommutative probability theory I. Noncommutative exchangeability systems

Cumulants linearize convolution of measures. We use a formula of Good to define noncommutative cumulants in a very general setting. It turns out that the essential property needed is exchangeability of random variables. Roughly speaking the formula says that cumulants are moments of a certain discrete Fourier transform of a random variable. This provides a simple unified method to understand the known examples of cumulants, like classical, free and various q-cumulants.Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): Primary 46L53, Secondary 05A18Supported by the European Network N^o HPRN-CT-2000-00116 and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Project N^oR2-MATin final form: 9 September 2003     

Survival of the d-wave superconducting state near the edge of antiferromagnetism in the cuprate phase diagram

In the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x, hole doping in the CuO2 layers is controlled by both oxygen content and the degree of oxygen ordering. At the composition YBa2Cu3O6.35, the ordering can occur at room temperature, thereby tuning the hole doping so that the superconducting critical temperature gradually rises from 0 to 20 K. Here we exploit this to study the c-axis penetration depth as a function of temperature and doping. The temperature dependence shows the d-wave superconductor surviving to very low doping, with no sign of another ordered phase interfering with the nodal quasiparticles. The only apparent doping dependence is a smooth decline of superfluid density as T(c) decreases.     

Production of (4)(double Lambda)H hypernuclei

An experiment demonstrating the production of double-Lambda hypernuclei in (K(-),K(+)) reactions on (9)Be was carried out at the D6 line in the BNL alternating-gradient synchrotron. The technique was the observation of pions produced in sequential mesonic weak decay, each pion associated with one unit of strangeness change. The results indicate the production of a significant number of the double hypernucleus (4)(double Lambda)H and the twin hypernuclei (4)(Lambda)H and (3)(Lambda)H. The relevant decay chains are discussed and a simple model of the production mechanism is presented. An implication of this experiment is that the existence of an S = -2 dibaryon more than a few MeV below the double Lambda mass is unlikely.     

Uniqueness of least area surfaces in the 3-torus

Given any -periodic metric g on and a plane through the origin, Bangert [4] shows that there exists a properly embedded surface homeomorphic to which is homotopically area-minimizing w.r.t. g, lies in a strip of bounded width around P, and does not have self-intersections when projected to the 3-torus . For the set of such surfaces, we show the following uniqueness theorems: If P is irrational, i.e., is not spanned by vectors in , the action of on by translations has a unique minimal set. If P is totally irrational, i.e., , then the surfaces in are pairwise disjoint. Received: 8 July 1999 / In final form: 14 February 2000 / Published online: 25 June 2001     

The Constructive Solution of Linear Systems of Partial Difference and Differential Equations with Constant Coefficients

This paper gives a survey of past work in the treated subject and also contains several new results. We solve the Cauchy problem for linear systems of partial difference equations on general integral lattices by means of suitable transfer operators and show that these can be easily computed with the help of standard implementations of Gröbner basis algorithms. The Borel isomorphism permits to transfer these results to systems of partial differential equations. We also solve the Cauchy problem for the function spaces of convergent power series and for entire functions of exponential type. The unique solvability of the Cauchy problem implies that the considered function spaces are large injective cogenerators for which the duality between finitely generated modules and behaviours holds. Already in the beginning of the last century C. Riquier considered and solved problems of the type discussed here.