Decay of metastable states in Nd II

The difficulty associated with an accurate determination of transition rates for forbidden lines in lowly ionized heavy elements is illustrated in the case of Nd II. We have investigated the radiative decay of the low-lying metastable levels in Nd⁺ including the two levels K_11/2 and I_13/2. In these two particular cases, using different theoretical approaches, we find that the decay is dominated by the M1 channels but that the E2 contributions are of the same order of magnitude. These levels have also been studied experimentally by lifetime measurements with the heavy ion storage ring CRYRING of Stockholm University. The difficulties encountered when performing such experiments are underlined and discussed.     

Fitting elephants in the density functionals zoo: Statistical criteria for the evaluation of density functional theory methods as a suitable replacement for counting parameters

Counting parameters has become customary in the density functional theory community as a way to infer the transferability of popular approximations to the exchange‐correlation functionals. Recent work in data science, however, has demonstrated that the number of parameters of a fitted model is not related to the complexity of the model itself, nor to its eventual overfitting. Using similar arguments, here, we show that it is possible to represent every modern exchange‐correlation functional approximations using just one single parameter. This procedure proves the futility of the number of parameters as a measure of transferability. To counteract this shortcoming, we introduce and analyze the performance of three statistical criteria for the evaluation of the transferability of exchange‐correlation functionals. The three criteria are called Akaike information criterion, Vapnik‐Chervonenkis criterion, and cross‐validation criterion and are used in a preliminary assessment to rank 60 exchange‐correlation functional approximations using the ASCDB database of chemical data.     

长程电子关联对聚合物中激子极化率的影响

本文研究了在外电场下高分子的线性极化率和三阶非线性极化率,发现电子-电子相互作用使激子线性极化率χ(1)xx和三阶非线性极化率χ(3)xxxx都降低,而长程电子关联效应的作用更进一步降低χ(1)xx和χ(3)xxxx.准确地计算高分子聚合物的极化率可以更好的理解共轭聚合物的长程电子关联对有机分子线性和非线性响应的影响,确定其结构与非线性光学性质的关系.     

Development of microscale pattern for digital image correlation up to 1400 °C

Speckle patterns to be used for digital image correlation (DIC) at the micrometer level up to 1400 °C were fabricated by several methods. The quality of the patterns before and after heating was evaluated in terms of the mean intensity gradient (MIG) and the speckle size distribution. The displacement accuracy in simulative translation of images showed that the MIG alone was not enough to evaluate the pattern properties; a large MIG, an even speckle size distribution, and a wide speckle size range pattern were required for a good DIC. The reaction between the patterning material and substrate, the cracking of speckles, and the plastic flow of patterning material may cause changes in the pattern morphology at high temperature. Two patterning methods, spraying a mixture of ceramics powder and binder by a fine-nozzle air brush and abrading a polished surface, yielded a small pattern with high MIG values and even size distributions that was stable at 1400 °C. The potential of the fabricated patterns was shown by measuring the coefficient of thermal expansion of polycrystalline Al₂O₃ from 800 °C to 1400 °C.     

Characterization of the channel walls roughness in photonic crystal fibers

We present electron microscope (FEI NanoSEM) and atomic force microscopy measurements of surface roughness in nanochannels in photonic crystal fibers (PCF). A method was invented to cleave the PCF along the axis without damaging the surface structure in the nanochannels allowing us to characterize the morphology of the nanochannels in the PCF. A multi-wall carbon nanotube mounted onto commercial AFM probes and super sharp silicon non-contact mode AFM probes were used to characterize the wall roughness in the nanochannels. The roughness is shown to have a Gaussian distribution, and has an amplitude smaller than 0.5 nm. The height–height correlation function is an exponential correlation function with an autocorrelation length of 13 nm, and 27 nm corresponding with scan sizes of 200×100 nm², and 1600×200 nm², respectively.     

基于联合变换相关的机载航空相机像移测量

为了提高像移测量精度,针对机载航空摆扫相机提出一种坐标变换法和图像相关法相结合的像移测量方法。利用坐标变换法得到初始像移速度,利用图像联合变换相关法对像移速度残差进行补偿。联合图像通过一个面阵CCD获得,该面阵CCD放置在相机焦平面上并与成像线阵TDI CCD平行,其输出的当前图像与参考图像合并构成联合图像进行二维空间联合变换相关运算,得到像移修正矢量。对该矢量分别在相机摆扫方向和载机飞行方向进行分解,从而得到摆扫像移和前向像移的修正量。仿真实验结果表明,在输入图像信噪比为4 dB时,像移测量误差在0.1 pixel以内。     

Shape memory behavior in Fe3Al-modeling and experiments

The Fe₃Al alloy with D0₃ structure exhibits large recoverable strains due to reversible slips. Tension and compression experiments were conducted on single crystals of Fe₃Al, and the onset of slip in forward and reverse directions were obtained utilizing high-resolution digital image correlation technique. The back stress provides the driving force for reversal of deformation upon unloading, resulting in a superelastic phenomenon as in shape memory alloys. Using density functional theory simulations, we obtain the energy barriers (GSFE – generalized stacking fault energy) for {1?1?0}〈1?1?1〉 and {1?1?2}〈1?1?1〉 slips in D0₃ Fe₃Al and the elastic moduli tensor, and undertake anisotropic continuum calculations to obtain the back stress and the frictional stress responsible for reversible slip. We compare the theoretically obtained slip stress magnitudes (friction and back stress) with the experimental measurements disclosing excellent agreement.     

Rheo-optical near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy study of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in conjunction with projection two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis

A rheo-optical characterization technique based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is developed specifically to probe the submolecular-level deformation caused during a mechanical test. An illustrative example of the mechanical deformation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is provided to show how it can be utilized. A set of NIR spectra of the polymer sample were collected by using an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) NIR spectrometer coupled with a tensile testing machine as an excitation device. While the substantial level of variation of spectral intensity was readily captured during the mechanical deformation of the LDPE, main feature of the NIR spectra was overwhelmed by the contribution from the baseline change. Projection 2D correlation analysis was then applied to selectively extract the signal contribution from the baseline fluctuation. The 2D correlation spectra revealed the predominant extension of amorphous tie chains followed by the rotation of crystalline lamellae, which induce elastic and plastic deformation of the LDPE, respectively.     

Investigation on interlaminar delamination tendency of multidirectional carbon fiber composites

In this investigation carbon fiber reinforced laminates with different orientation layups are prepared and studied under tensile loading condition. Multiple strain measurement techniques, namely, resistive strain gauges, embedded optical sensors and digital image correlation are used to analyze stress-strain behavior simultaneously through the thickness of composite materials, and to determine the sequence of failure in different plies. Inconsistencies of strains measured through different methods is correlated with the tendency for interlaminar delamination, therefore demonstrating the ability of multi-instrument approach to describe damage progress through the thickness of multidirectional laminates. Complementary analysis through acoustic emission methods reveals that the angle of off-axis surface plies can influence the sequence of failure under tensile loading condition, and damage monitoring capabilities of acoustic emission system is directly affected by delamination tendency of surface plies. Remarkably, the delayed failure of off-axis plies is shown to be related to reorientation of these layer towards loading direction using infrared thermography method.     

Determination of thermal expansion coefficient of a monofilament polyamide fiber using digital image correlation

Coiled polymer actuators are a type of artificial muscles that are a promising development in the field of smart materials. The coefficient of thermal expansion of monofilament polyamide fibers is a crucial parameter for understanding the actuation of coiled fibers. The main purpose of this work is to develop a new methodology for estimating the coefficient of thermal expansion and the transition temperature of monofilament polymer fibers. In the experimental procedure, axial deformations of monofilament polyamide fiber samples were induced by temperature variations using a controlled thermal system. These deformations were determined from images of polyamide samples using the digital image correlation method. Two different approaches based on distinct temperature conditions were conducted. An alternative model with three parameters, including the coefficient of thermal expansion, was introduced to describe the thermal-mechanical behavior of monofilament polyamide fibers. Moreover, polyamide samples were also characterized using four conventional methodologies. Results indicated that the coefficient of thermal expansion changed of a modest negative value to a large negative value and this transition occurred around the glass transition temperature of the polyamide. The thermal expansion curves demonstrate good repeatability and all estimated parameters were in accordance with literature, indicating that the proposed approach can be suitable for the proposed study. This investigation may help in understanding of the intrinsic thermal-mechanical behavior of polymeric monofilaments employed as actuators.