Non-compact symmetric spaces and the Toda molecule equations

It has been shown by Olshanetsky and Perelomov that the Toda molecule equations associated with any Lie groupG describe special geodesic motions on the Riemannian non-compact symmetric space which is the quotient of the normal real form ofG, G ^N, by its maximal compact subgroup. This is explained in more detail and it is shown that the fundamental Poisson bracket relation involving the Lax operatorA and leading to the Yang-Baxter equation and integrability properties is a direct consequence of the fact that the Iwasawa decomposition forG ^N endows the symmetric space with a hidden group theoretic structure.Supported by CNP _q (Brasil)     

A Titration Microcalorimetric Study of the Effects of Halide Counterions on Vesicle-Forming Aggregation in Aqueous Solution of Branched-Chain Alkylpyridinium Surfactants

Titration microcalorimetry is used to study the influences of iodide, bromide, and chloride counterions on the aggregation of vesicle-forming 1-methyl-4-(2-pentylheptyl)pyridinium halide surfactants. Formation of vesicles by these surfactants was characterised using transmission electron microscopy. When the counterion is changed at 303 K through the series iodide, bromide, to chloride, the critical vesicular concentration (cvc) increases and the enthalpy of vesicle formation changes from exo- to endothermic. With increase in temperature to 333 K, vesicle formation becomes strongly exothermic. Increasing the temperature leads to a decrease in enthalpy and entropy of vesicle formation for all three surfactants. However the standard Gibbs energy for vesicle formation is, perhaps surprisingly, largely unaffected by an increase in temperature, as a consequence of a compensating change in both standard entropy and standard enthalpy of vesicle formation. Interestingly, standard isobaric heat capacities of vesicle formation are negative, large in magnitude but not strikingly dependent on the counterion. We conclude that the driving force for vesicle formation can be understood in terms of overlap of the thermally labile hydrophobic hydration shells of the alkyl chains. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Effects of Adsorbed Polyaniline on Redox Process on MoO3 Surface

The effects exhibited by adsorbed conducting polyaniline on the redox process on a molybdenum oxide surface were studied. Thermogravimetric results indicate a 4% polyaniline deposition. Cyclic voltammograms of the adsorbed polymer on MoO3 show that polyaniline exerts remarkable effects on the molybdenum blue oxidation-reduction process, with oxidation and reduction potentials of 0.33 and 0.18 V, respectively. This effect strongly enhances the electrode response, and can be used as an important tool in qualitative and/or quantitative determinations of molybdenum in solution as well as in any substrate. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Response to tilted magnetic fields in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8) with columnar defects: evidence for transverse Meissner effect

The transverse Meissner effect (TME) in the highly layered superconductor Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+y) with columnar defects is investigated by transport measurements. We present evidence for the persistence of the Bose glass phase for H(perpendicular)H(+)(perpendicular c), moving kink chains consistent with a commensurate-incommensurate transition scenario are observed. These results show the existence of the TME for H(perpendicular)相似文献   

Primordial supersymmetric inflation

We discuss the motivations for reconsidering cosmological inflation in supersymmetric theories as contrasted with conventional GUTs. Radiative corrections to the effective potential can be made arbitrarily small in supersymmetric GUTs, removing some of the obstacles to inflation. We analyze general renormalizable potentials at the tree level and show that the required fine-tuning of parameters becomes less acute if inflation takes place before the grand unified phase transition, a hypothesis we term primordial inflation. We show how the grand unified monopole problem can be solved in supersymmetric GUTs embodying primordial inflation.     

Roughness analysis of the cracked surfaces of a face centered cubic alloy

Intergranular and transgranular fracture surfaces obtained in a face centered cubic alloy are studied using 3D maps reconstructed by scanning electron microscopy stereo imaging. The roughness exponents measured in the intergranular and transgranular surfaces, respectively, zeta = 0.83 +/- 0.05 and zeta = 0.75 +/- 0.05, are in agreement with the universal roughness value of 3D fractures. However, the slightly smaller value related to the transgranular surface could be a consequence of crystallographic transgranular zones disseminated on the surface whose roughness exponent zeta = 0.65 +/- 0.07 is close to the one usually measured on 2D fractures.     

Supershell structure in alkali metal nanowires

Nanowires are formed by indenting and subsequently retracting two pieces of sodium metal. Their cross section gradually reduces upon retraction and the diameters can be obtained from the conductance. In previous work we have demonstrated that when one constructs a histogram of diameters from large numbers of indentation-retraction cycles such histograms show a periodic pattern of stable nanowire diameters due to shell structure in the conductance modes. Here, we report the observation of a modulation of this periodic pattern, in agreement with predictions of a supershell structure.