Imaging mesoscopic nuclear spin noise with a diamond magnetometer

Magnetic resonance imaging can characterize and discriminate among tissues using their diverse physical and biochemical properties. Unfortunately, submicrometer screening of biological specimens is presently not possible, mainly due to lack of detection sensitivity. Here we analyze the use of a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond as a magnetic sensor for nanoscale nuclear spin imaging and spectroscopy. We examine the ability of such a sensor to probe the fluctuations of the "classical" dipolar field due to a large number of neighboring nuclear spins in a densely protonated sample. We identify detection protocols that appropriately take into account the quantum character of the sensor and find a signal-to-noise ratio compatible with realistic experimental parameters. Through various example calculations we illustrate different kinds of image contrast. In particular, we show how to exploit the comparatively long nuclear spin correlation times to reconstruct a local, high-resolution sample spectrum.     

Maxima and minima of the displacement components for the Lamb modes

This paper revisits the vanishing of the transverse component of the particle displacement vector in free surfaces of an isotropic homogeneous plate, for both symmetric and antisymmetric Lamb waves. Drawing on well-known analytical expressions from Viktorov's book [(1967) Rayleigh and Lamb Waves: Physical Theory Applications, Chap. II, pp. 67-121], two distinct frequency-thickness product expressions, in cases where this vanishing occurs, are derived: one for the symmetric modes and another for the antisymmetric modes. At these frequency-thickness products, phase and group velocities have appreciable values which are discussed herein. It appears that these velocities depend on the transverse bulk wave velocity only. This is the specific condition of the Lame? modes. Moreover, theoretical and experimental investigations of displacements in the surface of a plate in air have been carried out. The theoretical part shows that the normal and transverse displacements have, respectively, a local maximum and a local minimum in the vicinity of these frequency-thickness products. The experimental part corroborates the presence of the local maximum of the S(0) Lamb mode for various materials.     

Etude de la propagation d'une onde du type Franz sur des cylindres

A “Franz-type” wave was generated on the outside of solid cylinders immersed in water with “ka” values ranging from 25 to 800. In this investigation, the velocity and the attenuation of this wave have been obtained for different materials. Good agreement is obtained with the theory and other experiments.     

Negative droplets from positive electrospray

Image charge detection has been used to measure the charge and velocity of individual electrosprayed water droplets. With a positive bias on the electrospray needle the majority of the droplets are, as expected, positively charged. However, a small fraction, surprisingly, carry a negative charge. Plausible explanations for the presence of the negatively charged droplets are discussed. In particular, we consider the possibility of the negatively charged droplets resulting from a bipolar fission process where the incorporation of a small negatively charged droplet between two larger positively charged progeny lowers the energy barrier for symmetric fission.     

Determination of Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastic and Dielectric Properties from the Shape of a Capacitance-Voltage Curve

This paper shows how capacitance-voltage curves can be used to determine nematic liquid crystal dielectric and elastic constants and surface tilt angles. Careful analysis of the C-V curves reveals that distortion free energy theory is useful up to a V/V_c of about two. A detailed curve of tilt angle as a function of SiO deposition angle is also presented along with temperature variation in liquid crystal properties. Pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB) was used throughout the study.     

Influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and mechanical strength of nanoparticulate aggregates

Computer simulations based on Discrete Element Method have been performed in order to investigate the influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and the mechanical strength of nanoparticle aggregates.Three different systems have been considered.In the first system the interaction between particles has been simulated using the JKR (Johnson,Kendall and Roberts) contact theory,while in the second and third systems the interaction between particles has been simulated using van der Waals and electrostatic forces respectively.In order to compare the mechanical behaviour of the three systems,the magnitude of the maximum attractive force between particles has been kept the same in all cases.However,the relationship between force and separation distance differs from case to case and thus,the range of the interparticle force.The results clearly indicate that as the range of the interparticle force increases,the self-assembly process is faster and the work required to produce the mechanical failure of the assemblies increases by more than one order of magnitude.     

Existence of a limiting distribution for the binary GCD algorithm

In this article, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a certain distribution function on the unit interval. This distribution appears in Brent's model of the analysis of the binary gcd algorithm. The existence and uniqueness of such a function was conjectured by Richard Brent in his original paper [R.P. Brent, Analysis of the binary Euclidean algorithm, in: J.F. Traub (Ed.), New Directions and Recent Results in Algorithms and Complexity, Academic Press, New York, 1976, pp. 321–355]. Donald Knuth also supposes its existence in [D.E. Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, vol. 2, Seminumerical Algorithms, third ed., Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1997] where developments of its properties lead to very good estimates in relation to the algorithm. We settle here the question of existence, giving a basis to these results, and study the relationship between this limiting function and the binary Euclidean operator B₂, proving rigorously that its derivative is a fixed point of B₂.     

Reactivity of small Mo(x)Oy- clusters toward methane and ethane

The reactions of Mo2Oy- suboxide clusters with both methane and ethane have been studied with a combination of mass spectrometry, anion photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. Reactions were carried out under "gentle" and "violent" conditions. For methane, a number of products appeared under the gentler source conditions that were more logically attributed to dissociation of Mo2Oy- clusters upon reacting with methane to form MoCH2-, Mo(O)CH2-, and HMo(O2)CH3-. With ethane, products observed under the same gentle conditions were Mo(O)C2H2-, Mo(O)C2H4-, Mo(O2)C2H4-, and Mo(O2)(C2H5)2-. As expected, more products were observed when the reactions were carried out under violent conditions. The photoelectron spectra obtained for these species were compared to calculated adiabatic and vertical electron affinities and vibrational frequencies, leading to definitive structural assignments for several of the products.