Hadron production near threshold

Final state interaction effects inpp→ pΛK ⁺ andpd →³Heη reactions are explored near threshold to study the sensitivity of the cross-sections to thepΛ potential and theηN scattering matrix. The final state scattering wave functions between Λ andp andη and³He are described rigorously. The Λ production is described by the exchange of one pion and aK-meson between two protons in the incident channel. Theη production is described by a two-step model, where in the first step a pion is produced. This pion then produces anη by interacting with another nucleon     

Rapid shear viscosity calculation by momentum impulse relaxation molecular dynamics

Recently, Arya et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 113, 2079 (2000)] introduced a new molecular dynamics method to rapidly compute the viscosity of fluids. The technique, termed momentum impulse relaxation (MIR), involves the imposition of a Gaussian velocity profile on an equilibrated system, after which the decay in the profile is monitored as a function of time. The shear viscosity is computed by matching the rate of decay of the velocity profile to the corresponding solution of the Navier-Stokes equation. The method was originally applied to simple systems (argon and n-butane) and found to give a comparable accuracy to conventional equilibrium and nonequilibrium methods with more than an order of magnitude reduction in computing time. In this work, we extend and generalize the method to examine larger molecules with higher viscosities than have been examined previously. A detailed analysis of the method is given, including the effect the velocity boundary conditions have on the viscosity, the sensitivity of the results to the velocity profile fitting procedure, the effect of preequilibration of the Gaussian profile, and the effect the system size and box shape have on the accuracy and speed of the method. It is shown that the MIR method can be extended to treat multiatom systems without loss of accuracy or computational efficiency.     

Aspect-ratio dependent oscillatory thermocapillary convection in the floating half zone

The dependency of the critical Marangoni number on the geometrical aspect ratio of the floating half zone is essential to predict the onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection.The experimental studies in the microgravity conditions on floating half zones of several centimeters in diameter have predicted that the critical Marangoni number increases with the increasing aspect ratio,and the terrestrial experimental studies have predicted the contradictory conclusion for floating half zones of several mil...     

Light-mediated transformations of olefins into alcohols: reactions of hydroxyl radicals with cycloalkenes

Reactions of hydroxyl radicals, generated by photodecomposition of hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile, with a wide variety of cycloalkenes have been examined. The results show that the major reaction is the addition of hydroxyl radicals to the less substituted end of the double bond, furnishing the secondary alcohols. The reactivity pattern and the observed regio- and stereoselectivity clearly reveal that the steric parameters associated with the substrates play a dominant role in directing the addition reactions. More importantly, this study led to the development of a new methodology for the facile conversions of olefins essentially into secondary alcohols, and includes a few examples which demonstrate the potential of the method.     

Non-Gravitational Effects with Density-Matching in Evaluating the Influence of Sedimentation on Colloidal Coagulation

The method of density matching between the solid and liquid phases is often adopted to effectively eliminate the effect of sedimentation of suspensions in studies on dynamic behaviour of a colloidal system. However, the associated changes in the solvent composition may bring side effects to the properties investigated and therefore might lead to a faulty conclusion if the relevant correction is not made. To illustrate the importance of this side effect, we present an example of the sedimentation influence on the coagulation rate of suspensions of 2μm （diameter） polystyrene. The liquid mixtures, in the proper proportions of water （H2O）, deuterium oxide （D2O） and methanol （MeOH） as the liquid phase, density-matched and unmatched experiments are performed. Besides the influence of viscosity, the presence of methanol in solvent media, used to enhance the sedimentation effect, causes significant changes （reduction） in rapid coagulation rates compared to that in pure water. Without the relevant corrections for those non-gravitational factors it seems that gravitational sedimentation would retard the coagulation. The magnitude of the contribution from the non-gravitational factor is quantitatively determined, making the relevant correction possible. After necessary the influence of the sedimentation on coagulation rates at corrections for all factors, our experiments show that the initial stage of the coagulation is not observable.