Measurement of storage time, estimation of ion number and study of absorption line profile in a Paul trap

Europium (Eu⁺) ions were confined in a Paul trap and detected by non-destructive method. Storage time of Eu⁺ ions achieved in vacuum was improved by orders of magnitude employing buffer gas cooling. The experimentally detected signal was fitted to the ion response signal and the total number of ions trapped was estimated. It is found that the peak signal amplitude as well as the product of FWHM and the peak signal amplitude is proportional to the total number of trapped ions. The trapped ion secular frequency was swept at different rates and its effect on the absorption line profile was studied both experimentally and theoretically.     

The contribution of internal degrees of freedom to the non-Newtonian rheology of model polymer fluids

We report non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of rigid and non-rigid dumbbell fluids to determine the contribution of internal degrees of freedom to strain-rate-dependent shear viscosity. The model adopted for non-rigid molecules is a modification of the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic (FENE) dumbbell commonly used in kinetic theories of polymer solutions. We consider model polymer melts — that is, fluids composed of rigid dumbbells and of FENE dumbbells. We report the steady-state stress tensor and the transient stress response to an applied Couerte strain field for several strain rates. We find that the rheological properties of the rigid and FENE dumbbells are qualitatively and quantitatively similar. (The only exception to this is the zero strain rate shear viscosity.) Except at high strain rates, the average conformation of the FENE dumbbells in a Couette strain field is found to be very similar to that of FENE dumbbells in the absence of strain. The theological properties of the two dumbbell fluids are compared to those of a corresponding fluid of spheres which is shown to be the most non-Newtonian of the three fluids considered.Symbol Definition b dimensionless time constant relating vibration to other forms of motion - F force on center of mass of dumbbell - F _i force on bead i of dumbbell - F force between center of masses of dumbbells and - F _ij force between beads i and j - h vector connecting bead to center of mass of dumbbell - H dimensionless spring constant for dumbbells, in units of / ² - I moment of inertia of dumbbell - J general current induced by applied field - k _B Boltzmann's constant - L angular momentum - m mass of bead, (= m/2) - M mass of dumbbell, g - N number of dumbbells in simulation cell - P translational momentum of center of mass of dumbbell - P pressure tensor - P _xy xy component of pressure tensor - Q separation of beads in dumbbell - Q _eq equilibrium extension of FENE dumbbell and fixed extension of rigid dumbbell - Q ₀ maximum extension of dumbbell - r _ij vector connecting beads i and j - r position vector of center of mass dumbbell - R vector connecting centers of mass of two dumbbells - t time - t ^* dimensionless time, in units of m/ - T ^* dimensionless temperature, in units of /k - u potential energy - u velocity vector of flow field - u _x x component of velocity vector - V volume of simulation cell - X general applied field - strain rate, s^–1 - ^* dimensionless shear rate, in units of /m ² - general transport property - Lennard-Jones potential well depth - friction factor for Gaussian thermostat - shear viscosity, g/cms - ^* dimensionless shear viscosity, in units of m/ ² - ^* dimensionless number density, in units of ^–3 - Lennard-Jones separation of minimum energy - relaxation time of a fluid - angular velocity of dumbbell - orientation angle of dumbbell      

Correction: Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity

After the publication of the work entitled "Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity", by Kozlowski et al., BMC Biochemistry 2011, 12:29, we found that the legends to Figures 2 to 5 contain serious mistakes that compromise the comprehension of the work. This correction article contains the correct text of the legends to Figures 2 to 5.     

Maintaining the structure of templated porous materials for reactive and high-temperature applications

Nanoporous and nanostructured materials are becoming increasingly important for advanced applications involving, for example, bioactive materials, catalytic materials, energy storage and conversion materials, photonic crystals, membranes, and more. As such, they are exposed to a variety of harsh environments and often experience detrimental morphological changes as a result. This article highlights material limitations and recent advances in porous materials--three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) materials in particular--under reactive or high-temperature conditions. Examples include systems where morphological changes are desired and systems that require an increased retention of structure, surface area, and overall material integrity during synthesis and processing. Structural modifications, changes in composition, and alternate synthesis routes are explored and discussed. Improvements in thermal or structural stability have been achieved by the isolation of nanoparticles in porous structures through spatial separation, by confinement in a more thermally stable host, by the application of a protective surface or an adhesive interlayer, by alloy or solid solution formation, and by doping to induce solute drag.     

New high-energy luminescence bands from Co2+ in ZnSe

Three sharp absorption features in the energy range 2.36–2.55 eV have been detected in the transmission spectrum of Co-diffused ZnSe, and a number of luminescence transitions originating from the lowest of these states at 2.361 eV have been observed. Photoluminescence excitation spectra prove that these are high energy excited states of the Co²⁺_Zn impurity, a conclusion confirmed by comparison of measured and predicted luminescence energies. This represents the first identification of luminescence branching from a higher excited state of a transition metal ion in any semiconductor. The sharp, weakly phonon-coupled transitions involve either intra-impurity excitation or transitions from the impurity to localised states split off from a minimum in the conduction band. The implications of these observations for the mechanism of host-impurity energy transfer and for the nature of the excited state wavefunctions are discussed.