Silicon-Based Integrated Optic Pressure Sensor Using Intermodal Interference between TM-Like and TE-Like Modes

In this paper, a silicon-based integrated optic pressure sensor using an intermodal interference between the fundamental TM-like and TE-like modes is described. The sensor consists of a micromachined rectangular diaphragm and a straight polystyrene optical waveguide passing over the diaphragm. Its sensitivity is theoretically known to be strongly dependent on the position of the waveguide over the diaphragm. To experimentally investigate such dependence, we fabricated a sensor with a 1.2 mm ×10 mm ×20 μm diaphragm, over which waveguides were placed at 50 μm intervals. The measured phase sensitivity was 98 mrad/kPa for the waveguide nearest to the diaphragm edge. The measurement was also carried out for the other waveguides. As theoretically expected, the largest sensitivity was obtained for the waveguide nearest to the edge.     

Comment on “The Free Will Theorem”

In a recent paper Conway and Kochen, Found. Phys. 36, 2006, claim to have established that theories of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (RW) type, i.e., of spontaneous wave function collapse, cannot be made relativistic. On the other hand, relativistic GRW-type theories have already been presented, in my recent paper, J. Stat. Phys. 125, 2006, and by Dowker and Henson, J. Stat. Phys. 115, 2004. Here, I elucidate why these are not excluded by the arguments of Conway and Kochen.      

Simulation and fabrication of carbon nanotubes field emission pressure sensors

A novel field emission pressure sensor has been achieved utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the electron source. The sensor consists of the anode sensing film fabricated by wet etching process and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) cathode in the micro-vacuum chamber. MWNTs on the silicon substrate were grown by thermal CVD. The prototype pressure sensor has a measured sensitivity of about 0.17-0.77 nA/Pa (101-550 KPa). The work shows the potential use of CNTs-based field-emitter in microsensors, such as accelerometers and tactile sensors.     

Improved convergence of a non-perturbative semi-classical pressure broadening model

It is shown that by including the second term of Magnus expansion, improved convergence can be achieved for the non-perturbative pressure broadening formalism proposed by Neilson and Gordon (J. Chem. Phys. 58 (1973) 4131). The present method was applied to the line broadening calculations of CO in a bath of Ar.     

Gravitational Collapse of Self-Similar Perfect Fluid in 2 + 1 Gravity

Perfect fluid with kinematic self-similarity is studied in 2+1 dimensional spacetimes with circular symmetry, and various exact solutions to the Einstein field equations are given. These include all the solutions of dust and stiff perfect fluid with self-similarity of the first kind, and all the solutions of perfect fluid with a linear equation of state and self-similarity of the zeroth and second kinds. It is found that some of these solutions represent gravitational collapse, and the final state of the collapse can be either a black hole or a null singularity. It is also shown that one solution can have two different kinds of kinematic self-similarity.     

Consequence for Wavefunction Collapse Model of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Experiment

It is shown that data on the dissociation rate of deuterium obtained in an experiment at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory provides evidence that the Continuous Spontaneous Localization wavefunction collapse model should have mass–proportional coupling to be viable.     

热声驱动系统中的压力测量

介绍了自制的用于热声驱动脉管制冷装置的计算机压力波数据采集系统。该系统由硅压电压力传感器、数据采集卡、PC机和基于 Labview软件的图形化用户界面 GUI( Graphical User In-terface)组成。试验证明 ,它具有结构简单、高效精确、操作简便等特点 ,在捕捉被测系统内的动态压力变化方面具有优势 ,不但能很好地满足热声驱动器的压力测量要求 ,而且亦可移植到任何类似的测量气体压力的场合     

K-Dependence and temperature dependence of N2-, H2-, and He-broadening coefficients for the J = 12-11 transition of acetonitrile CH3CN located near 220.7 GHz

Extensive experiments on the K = 3 component of the J = 12-11 rotational transition of acetonitrile CH₃C¹⁴N, located near 220.7 GHz, were performed at different temperatures in the range 235-350 K. They allow determining the N₂-, H₂-, and He-broadening coefficients, as well as their temperature dependences. More specific measurements on all the K-components of the involved transition perturbed by N₂ at 303 K allow to point out a clear decreasing of the broadening coefficient with increasing K. Narrowing effects are clearly observed, and experimental lines were analysed both with Voigt and speed dependent Voigt profiles; but no exhaustive lineshape study was carried out. All the experimental parameters are compared with results derived from a semiclassical calculation of collisional interactions, including electrostatic, induction, and dispersion energy contributions.     

The effect of simultaneous temperature, pressure and stress on the experimental annealing of spontaneous fission tracks in apatite: a brief overview

Tracks made in minerals by the electronic stopping of uranium fission fragments provide a modern geological dating tool, and are believed also to yield specific information on the low-temperature thermal history of rocks. Experimental work showing that the damaged crystal lattice along a fission track recovers primarily as a function of temperature ignored the fact that the basic theory of atomic diffusion requires an exponential decrease in the intrinsic diffusion coefficient with increasing pressure. Here, fission track recovery was experimentally investigated in basic apatite under the simultaneous influences of temperature, pressure and stress. We show that track fading is a complex recovery mechanism responding to several environmental physical parameters simultaneously. In particular a strong decrease in the track recovery rate was observed as a function of increasing pressure. And a nearly temperature-independent recovery was observed in samples under stress.     

Differential FBG sensor for temperature-compensated high-pressure (or displacement) measurement

A differential fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor with a free active element bulk-modulus for high-pressure (or displacement) measurement is presented. Based on the differential measurement method and an isosceles triangle cantilever structure, problems of cross-sensitivity and chirped signal in FBG sensor are improved both theoretically and experimentally. Preliminary experiments indicate that temperature-compensated measurement results agree well with the theoretical analysis. Displacement measurement sensitivity is 1.75 pm/μm, and the estimated pressure measurement resolution can reach 0.27 MPa in case the wavelength shift measurement resolution is 0.01 nm.