SALS,WAXS and mechanical properties of heat‐treated thermotropic polymers

The influence of heat treatment on the texture, microstructure and tensile mechanical properties of extruded thin films of a series of high‐performance thermotropic liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) was investigated. LCPs based on random units of hydroxybenzoic acid (B), hydroxynaphthoic acid (N), terephthalic acid (TA) and biphenol (BP) were kindly supplied by the former Hoechst Celanese Corp as 50 µm thick extruded tapes. The LCPs, denoted B‐N, COTBP and RD1000, have B and N as common comonomers and vary the other comonomers. Thus, this study also enables the investigation of the influence of monomer composition on microstructure and mechanical properties. Heat treatments were carried out at temperatures close to the solid‐to‐nematic transition (T_s→n) for periods up to 5 h, under dry air conditions. The thermal treatment produced either two endotherms or a small increase of T_s→n (B‐N and RD1000), or increased significantly T_s→n (COTBP). Moreover, when heat treatment was carried out approximately 40°C below the respective T_s→n, the mechanical Young's modulus, E, along the extrusion axis, increased for all LCPs. Strikingly, for COTBP, E increased over 100% relative to the as‐extruded film. The results also showed that the optimum treatment time for improving the Young modulus, under dry air atmosphere, was between 3 and 4 h. Wide‐angle X‐ray scattering showed a significant sharpening of crystalline reflections and concentration of the 002 meridional reflection as a result of thermal treatment, suggesting the elimination of defects and a better alignment of the molecular chains along the extrusion axis. This would explain the increase in tensile modulus. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Equations for pulse propagation in a free electron laser

The equations for pulse propagation in a free electron laser are derived. The equations are valid in a reference frame, moving with a relativistic velocity with respect to the laboratory frame, chosen in such a way that the carrier frequency of the pulse equals the pseudoradiation (wiggler) field frequency. In this reference frame the equations assume a simple non relativistic form.     

Measurements of the density and refractive index for 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids

Correlations between density and refractive index of pure systems of ionic liquids were examined in this work. To this end, the density and refractive index of four 1-n-butyl-3-imidazolium-based ionic liquids were measured at atmospheric pressure and temperature up to 353.2 K. Densities and refractive indices of the ionic liquids investigated are presented as a function of temperature. A group contribution-based equation was modified to calculate the density as a function of temperature. An empirical equation was used to study the temperature-dependence of refractive index. The Lorentz–Lorenz, Dale–Gladstone, Eykman, Oster, Arago–Biot, and Newton equations, as well as a modified Eykman were used to correlate the relation between the densities and refractive indices of the different ionic liquid systems. The correlations give satisfactory results. The results of this study can add to the newly organized database for ionic liquids and can also be used for various process design calculations.     

Classical and quantum self amplified spontaneous emission in a high gain free electron laser

We describe the quantum theory and the photon statistics of self amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) in a high gain free electron laser (FEL) using Glauber's quantum theory of coherence. We generalize a previous theory by taking into account many-mode effects and the initiation process resulting from classical shot noise, quantum noise, an injected coherent field and coherent bunching. In particular, we define the concept of quantum SASE which is appropriate when the initial quantum fluctuations dominate over the classical shot noise. We also discuss the conditions for the observation. Quantum SASE is a new quantum phenomenon in which the single electron uncertainty fluctuations of the conjugate variables position and momentum produce exponential amplification of the vacuum field.     

Exact one-particle theory of a free electron laser

From a semiclassical discussion of the one-particle quantized model we demonstrate that the free electron dynamics exhibits a phase transition in correspondence to a threshold value of the wiggler magnetic field. Below threshold the FEL can work as a small gain amplifier and can be described by the well-known pendulum analogy and gain-spread expressions. Above threshold the analogy is broken and the FEL works as a large gain amplifier which goes from spontaneous to stimulated emission regime.     

Transverse effects in superfluorescence

We demonstrate that off-axial emission can be responsible for the pulse envelope ringing, transverse effects, and large shot-to-shot pulse shape fluctuations observed in recent superfluorescence experiments.