Non-modal instabilities of two-dimensional disturbances in plane Couette flow of a power-law fluid

Instabilities of fluid flows have traditionally been investigated by normal mode analysis, i.e. by linearizing the equations of flow and testing for unstable eigenvalues of the linearized problem. However, the results of eigenvalue analysis agree poorly in many cases with experiments, especially for shear flows. In this paper we study the instabilities of two-dimensional Couette flow of a polymeric fluid in the framework of non-modal stability theory rather than normal mode analysis. A power-law model is used to describe the polymeric liquid. We focus on the response to external excitations and initial conditions by examining the pseudospectra structures and the transient energy growths. For both Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows, the results show that there can be a rather large transient growth even though the linear operator of Couette flow has no unstable eigenvalue. The effects of non-Newtonian viscosity on the transient behaviors are examined in this study. The results show that the "shear-thinning/shear-thickening" effect increases/decreases the amplitude of responses to external excitations and initial conditions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nucleon 3PF2 Superfluid Pairing Gap in Asymmetry Nuclear Matter

The 3PF2 superfluidity of neutron and proton is investigated in isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter within the Brueckner–Hartree–Fock approach and the BCS theory by adopting the Argonne V14 and the Argonne V18 nucleon-nucleon interactions. We find that pairing gaps in the 3PF2 channel predicted by adopting the AV14 interaction are much larger than those by the AV18 interaction. As the isospin-asymmetry increases, the neutron 3PF2 superfluidity is found to increase rapidly, whereas the proton one turns out to decrease and may even vanish at high enough asymmetries.As a consequence, the neutron 3PF2 superfluidity is much stronger than the proton one at high asymmetries and it predominates over the proton one in dense neutron-rich matter.

Topological objects in two-gap superconductor

We discuss the non-Abelian topological objects, in particular the non-Abrikosov vortex and the magnetic knot made of the twisted non-Abrikosov vortex, in two-gap superconductor. We show that there are two types of non-Abrikosov vortex in Ginzburg-Landau theory of two-gap superconductor, the D-type which has no concentration of the condensate at the core and the N-type which has a non-trivial profile of the condensate at the core, under a wide class of realistic interaction potential. We prove that these non-Abrikosov vortices can have either integral or fractional magnetic flux, depending on the interaction potential. We show that they are described by the non-Abelian topology pi(2)(S-2) and pi(1)(S-1), in addition to the well-known Abelian topology pi(1)(S-1). Furthermore, we discuss the possibility to construct a stable magnetic knot in two-gap superconductor by twisting the non-Abrikosov vortex and connecting two periodic ends together, whose knot topology pi(3)(S-2) is described by the Chern-Simon index of the electromagnetic potential. We argue that similar topological objects may exist in multi-gap or multi-layer superconductors and multi-component Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluids, and discuss how these topological objects can be constructed in MgB2, Sr2RuO4, He-3, and liquid metallic hydrogen.

bridge the gap between software test process and business value: a case study

Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS)

Band Gap Tunable, Donor-Acceptor-Donor Charge-Transfer Heteroquinoid-Based Chromophores: Near Infrared Photoluminescence and Electroluminescence

A series of D-pi-A-pi-D type of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent compounds based on benzobis(thia diazole) and its selenium analogues were synthesized and fully characterized by H-1 and C-13 NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The absorption fluorescence, and electrochemical properties were also studied. Photoluminescence of these chromophores ranges from 900 to 1600 nm and their band gaps are between 1.19 and 0.56 eV.

Investigation on relationship between charge transfer position and dielectric definition of average energy gap in Eu3+-doped compounds

The dielectric definition of average energy gap E-g of the chemical bond has been calculated quantitatively in Eu3+-doped 30 lanthanide compounds based on the dielectric theory of chemical bond for complex structure crystals. The relationship between the experimental charge transfer (CT) energy of Eu3+ and the corresponding average energy gap E-g has been studied. The results show that the CT energy increases linearly with increasing of the average energy gap E-g. The linear model is obtained. It allows us to predict the CT position of Eu3+-doped lanthanide compounds with knowledge of the crystal structure and index of refraction. Applied to the Ca4GdO(BO3)(3):Eu and Li2Lu5O4(BO3)(3):Eu crystals, the predicted results of CT energies are in good agreement with the experimental values, and it can be concluded that the lowest CT energy in Li2Lu5O4(BO3)(3):Eu originates from the site of Lu1.

The influence of muffin-tin approximation on energy band gap

The influence of muffin-tin approximation on energy band gap was studied using LMTO-ASA (Linear Muffin-Tin Orbital-Atomic Sphere Approximation) approach. Since the diverse data are available for LaX(X=N, P, As, Sb), they are presented in our research as an example in order to test the reliability of our results. Four groups of muffin-tin radii were chosen, they were the fitted muffin-tin radii based on the optical properties of the crystals (the first), 1 : 1 for La : X(the second), 1.5 : 1 for La : X(the third), and a group of radii derived by making the charge in the interstitial space to be zero(the fourth). The results show that the fitted muffin-tin radii (the first group) give the best results compared with experimental values, and the predicted energy band gaps are very sensitive to the choice of muffin-tin radius in comparison with the other groups. The second and the third delivered results somewhere in between, while the fourth provided the worst results compared with the other groups. For the same crystal, with the increase of muffin-tin radius of lanthanum, the calculated energy band gaps decreased, going from semi-conductor to semimetal. This again clearly indicated the sensitivity of energy band structure on muffin-tin approximation.

Comprehensive assessment of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD): gap or chasm in the evidence?

Alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is primarily caused by chronic alcohol misuse and thiamine deficiency, and results in a broad range of impairments. Despite the increasing incidence of ARBD in the UK in recent decades, it is currently underdiagnosed, managed inappropriately and treated inadequately. Moreover, information about assessments for individuals with ARBD is currently absent from clinical guidelines and policy documents. The aim of this paper was to review the evidence relating to the neurological, neuropsychological, psychosocial, physical and nutritional assessment of individuals with ARBD to identify appropriate assessment tools that could be used to measure and monitor the impact of ARBD over time. A systematic online database search revealed a total of 160 separate references, 133 of which were rejected and two of which could not be accessed. Twenty-five papers were included in the review, including six neuroimaging studies, 17 neuropsychological studies and two studies using psychosocial methods of assessment. A lack of evidence for nutritional and physical assessment of individuals with ARBD was found. The review findings are inconclusive; most instruments currently used in ARBD research have not specifically been validated for use within an ARBD context. Further research is required to identify comprehensive methods of ARBD assessment.

Simulations of Two-Dimensional Foam under Couette Shear

null Sponsorship: Financial support is acknowledged from the University of Wales Aberystwyth Senate Fund, the Ulysses France-Ireland Exchange Scheme and EPSRC (EP/D014956/1, EP/D048397/1, EP/D071127/1).

The Couette shear of foams - a summary

Sponsorship: EPSRC, British Council Alliance programme

Determination of the optical band-gap energy of cubic and hexagonal boron nitride using luminescence excitation spectroscopy

Sponsorship: EPSRC, STFC

Synchrotron-laser pump-probe luminescence spectroscopy: Correlation of electronic defect states with x-ray absorption in wide-gap solids

Poolton, Nigel; Hamilton, B.; Evans, D.A., (2005) 'Synchrotron-laser pump-probe luminescence spectroscopy: Correlation of electronic defect states with x-ray absorption in wide-gap solids', Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 38 pp.1478-1484 RAE2008

Transformation optics with photonic band gap media.

We introduce a class of optical media based on adiabatically modulated, dielectric-only, and potentially extremely low-loss, photonic crystals (PC). The media we describe represent a generalization of the eikonal limit of transformation optics (TO). The basis of the concept is the possibility to fit some equal frequency surfaces of certain PCs with elliptic surfaces, allowing them to mimic the dispersion relation of light in anisotropic effective media. PC cloaks and other TO devices operating at visible wavelengths can be constructed from optically transparent substances such as glasses, whose attenuation coefficient can be as small as 10 dB/km, suggesting the TO design methodology can be applied to the development of optical devices not limited by the losses inherent to metal-based, passive metamaterials.