Fresnel coefficients for a layer of NIM

Reflection and transmission of traveling and evanescent waves by a layer of material with a negative index of refraction (NIM) is studied by means of the Fresnel coefficients. We derive their values in the “NIM limit”, and we show that this limit is consistent with the exact solution. It is also indicated that simply substituting the negative values of the relative permittivity and permeability of the NIM material into the exact solution leads to incorrect results for evanescent waves.     

Phonon response of the high‐temperature spin‐density‐wave superconductors

The phonon response of a spin density wave superconductor (SD^W-SC) is calculated. The phonon self energy due to electron-phonon interaction, which involves the electronic density response function, is evaluated explicitly for the coexistent SDW-SC state. It has a square-root singularity at a frequency corresponding to the superconducting gap 2Δ. As a consequence, the spectral density function of the SDW-phonon will show a peak at 2Δ The possibility of observing the 2Δ-peak by Raman scattering is discussed. The relevance of the results to high-temperature superconductors is pointed out. The available Raman data for YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δare compared with the results of the calculation.     

A new auxiliary function method for solving the generalized coupled Hirota–Satsuma KdV system

In this letter, a new auxiliary function method is presented for constructing exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. The main idea of this method is to take full advantage of the solutions of the elliptic equation to construct exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. More new exact travelling wave solutions are obtained for the generalized coupled Hirota–Satsuma KdV system.     

Quadratic nonlinear torsional hyperelastic waves in isotropic cylinders: Primary analysis of evolution

Nonlinear torsional waves propagating along an infinite isotropic cylinder are considered. The hyperelasticity of the cylinder is described by the Murnaghan potential. An approximate analytical solution of the problem is obtained. The evolution of the initial waveprofile in cylinders made of composite materials reinforced with microscale particles is simulated numerically. It is shown that the approximation used to describe the variation in the amplitude inward the cylinder is quite accurate. Three-dimensional plots of evolution are presented __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 75–85, March 2008.     

A REACTION–DIFFUSION EQUATION MODELING THE INVASION OF THE ARGENTINE ANT POPULATION,LINEPITHEMA HUMILE,AT JASPER RIDGE BIOLOGICAL PRESERVE

Abstract A continuous reaction–diffusion model is developed for the invasive Argentine ant population within a preserve in northern California. The model is a second‐order partial differential equation incorporating a logistic growth term. The dispersal distance traveled during the reproductive process of budding is used to estimate the diffusion coefficient. The model has two homogeneous steady states, one occurring at the propagation front where the Argentine ant population does not yet exist and one occurring where the population has reached carrying capacity. The traveling wave solutions of the model depict the population density for a given time and location. Using current research, parameter values for the model are estimated and a traveling wave solution for the average parameter values is numerically demonstrated.     

Monte Carlo study of electron correlation functions for small molecules

A study is made of electron-electron correlation functions for use in trial wave functions for small molecules. New forms are proposed that have only a few variational parameters, and these parameters have physical meanings that are easily discerned. Total energies for H₂, LiH and Li₂ computed using these correlation functions are presented, and comparison is made with previous forms, including the Jastrow-Pade form often used in Monte Carlo studies. We further treat the possibility that correlation depends not only on the separation of a pair of electrons but also on the location of the electron pair relative to the nuclei — indicative of a density-dependent or many body correlation effect. Our results indicate that such a many-body correlation effect is weakly present.This work was supported by the Director, Office of Energy Research, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC03-76SF00098     

Rational approximation to trigonometric operators

We consider the approximation of trigonometric operator functions that arise in the numerical solution of wave equations by trigonometric integrators. It is well known that Krylov subspace methods for matrix functions without exponential decay show superlinear convergence behavior if the number of steps is larger than the norm of the operator. Thus, Krylov approximations may fail to converge for unbounded operators. In this paper, we propose and analyze a rational Krylov subspace method which converges not only for finite element or finite difference approximations to differential operators but even for abstract, unbounded operators. In contrast to standard Krylov methods, the convergence will be independent of the norm of the operator and thus of its spatial discretization. We will discuss efficient implementations for finite element discretizations and illustrate our analysis with numerical experiments. AMS subject classification (2000)  65F10, 65L60, 65M60, 65N22     

A new rational auxiliary equation method and exact solutions of a generalized Zakharov system

A new rational auxiliary equation method for obtaining exact traveling wave solutions of constant coefficient nonlinear partial differential equations of evolution is proposed. Its effectiveness is evinced by obtaining exact solutions of a generalized Zakharov system, some of which are new. It is shown that the G^′/G and the generalized projective Ricatti expansion methods are special cases of the auxiliary equation method. Further, due the solutions obtained, four other new and practicable rational methods are deduced.     

A New Indirect Electroanalytical Method to Monitor the Contamination of Natural Waters with 4‐Nitrophenol Using Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes

The electrochemical detection of the hazardous pollutant 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) at low potentials, in order to avoid matrix interferences, is an important research challenge. This study describes the development, electrochemical characterization and utilization of a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film electrode for the quantitative determination of 4‐NP in natural water. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements showed that the modified surface exhibits a decrease of ca. 13 times in the charge transfer resistance when compared with a bare glassy carbon (GC) surface. Voltammetric experiments showed the possibility to oxidize a hydroxylamine layer (produced by the electrochemical reduction of 4‐NP on the GC/MWNCT surface) in a potential region which is approximately 700 mV less positive than that needed to oxidize 4‐NP, thus minimizing the interference of matrix components. The limit of detection for 4‐NP obtained using square‐wave voltammetry (0.12 μmol L^?1) was lower than the value advised by EPA. A natural water sample from a dam located in São Carlos (Brazil) was spiked with 4‐NP and analyzed by the standard addition method using the GC/MWCNT electrode, without any further purification step. The recovery procedure yielded a value of 96.5% for such sample, thus confirming the suitability of the developed method to determine 4‐NP in natural water samples. The electrochemical determination was compared with that obtained by HPLC with UV‐vis detection.