Superluminal and slow light propagation in a room-temperature solid

We have observed both superluminal and ultraslow light propagation in an alexandrite crystal at room temperature. Group velocities as slow as 91 meters per second to as fast as -800 meters per second were measured and attributed to the influence of coherent population oscillations involving chromium ions in either mirror or inversion sites within the crystal lattice. Namely, ions in mirror sites are inversely saturable and cause superluminal light propagation, whereas ions in inversion sites experience conventional saturable absorption and produce slow light. This technique for producing large group indices is considerably easier than the existing methods to implement and is therefore suitable for diverse applications.     

Linear response breakdown in solvation dynamics induced by atomic electron-transfer reactions

The linear response (LR) approximation, which predicts identical relaxation rates from all nonequilibrium initial conditions that relax to the same equilibrium state, underlies dominant models of how solvation influences chemical reactivity. We experimentally tested the validity of LR for the solvation that accompanies partial electron transfer to and from a monatomic solute in solution. We photochemically prepared the species with stoichiometry Na0 in liquid tetrahydrofuran by both adding an electron to Na+ and removing an electron from Na-. Because atoms lack nuclear degrees of freedom, ultrafast changes in the Na0 absorption spectrum reflected the solvation that began from our two initial nonequilibrium conditions. We found that the solvation of Na0 occurs more rapidly from Na+ than Na-, constituting a breakdown of LR. This indicates that Marcus theory would fail to describe electron-transfer processes for this and related chemical systems.     

Martian craters and a scarp as seen by radar

Radar observations of Mars with a surface resolution of 1.3 degrees in latitude and 0.8 degrees in longitude have been carried out during the opposition of 1971. With a precision in surface height measurement approaching 75 meters in regions of high reflectivity, it has been possible to measure the detailed characteristics of a number of craters. Many of these can be identified with craters shown in Mariner photographs of Mars. In addition, a scarp has been seen at 41 degrees west, 14 degrees south with an average slope of about 6 degrees extending over about 40 kilometers.     

Electron coherence in a melting lead monolayer

We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to measure the electronic dispersion and single-particle spectral function in a liquid metal. A lead monolayer supported on a copper (111) surface was investigated as the temperature was raised through the melting transition of the film. Electron spectra and momentum distribution maps of the liquid film revealed three key features of the electronic structure of liquids: the persistence of a Fermi surface, the filling of band gaps, and the localization of the wave functions upon melting. Distinct coherence lengths for different sheets of the Fermi surface were found, indicating a strong dependence of the localization lengths on the character of the constituent atomic wave functions.     

Emerging coherence in a population of chemical oscillators

Coherence of interacting oscillating entities has importance in biological, chemical, and physical systems. We report experiments on populations of chemical oscillators and verify a 25-year-old theory of Kuramoto that predicts that global coupling in a set of smooth limit-cycle oscillators with different frequencies produces a phase transition in which some of the elements synchronize. Both the critical point and the predicted dependence of order on coupling are seen in the experiments. We extend the studies both to relaxation and to chaotic oscillators and characterize the quantitative similarities and differences among the types of systems.     

Mesoscopic phase coherence in a quantum spin fluid

Mesoscopic quantum phase coherence is important because it improves the prospects for handling quantum degrees of freedom in technology. Here we show that the development of such coherence can be monitored using magnetic neutron scattering from a one-dimensional spin chain of an oxide of nickel (Y2BaNiO5), a quantum spin fluid in which no classical static magnetic order is present. In the cleanest samples, the quantum coherence length is 20 nanometers, which is almost an order of magnitude larger than the classical antiferromagnetic correlation length of 3 nanometers. We also demonstrate that the coherence length can be modified by static and thermally activated defects in a quantitatively predictable manner.     

Geographically weighted regression estimation of the linear response and plateau function

Precision Agriculture - The objective of this paper is to modify the linear geographically weighted regression (GWR) estimator to accommodate the discontinuous join point, or “knot”, of...     

Communication through a diffusive medium: coherence and capacity

Coherent wave propagation in disordered media gives rise to many fascinating phenomena as diverse as universal conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic metals and speckle patterns in light scattering. Here, the theory of electromagnetic wave propagation in diffusive media is combined with information theory to show how interference affects the information transmission rate between antenna arrays. Nontrivial dependencies of the information capacity on the nature of the antenna arrays are found, such as the dimensionality of the arrays and their direction with respect to the local scattering medium. This approach provides a physical picture for understanding the importance of scattering in the transfer of information through wireless communications.     

Packing structures and transitions in liquids and solids

Classification of potential energy minima-mechanically stable molecular packings-offers a unifying principle for understanding condensed phase properties. This approach permits identification of an inherent structure in liquids that is normally obscured by thermal motions. Melting and freezing occur through characteristic sequences of molecular packings, and a defect-softening phenomenon underlies the fact that they are thermodynamically first order. The topological distribution of feasible transitions between contiguous potential minima explains glass transitions and associated relaxation behavior.     

液压传动中的主要故障及其对策

液压传动与其它传动相比具有许多突出的优点，因此被广泛的应用与各个技术领域中，而在液压传动中，液压泵是整个液压系统的心脏，常常出现故障，故障率较高，危害严重便是气蚀。     

Low-temperature relaxation and entropic barriers in supercooled liquids

The low-temperature relaxation dynamics of supercooled liquids are a long-standing theoretical problem of considerable interest. The vast amount of experimental data on such liquids indicates that viscosity and diffusion in supercooled liquids are non-Arrhenius over a wide range of temperatures. The non-Arrhenius temperature dependence of the relaxation time of the slow modes in glass-forming liquids is investigated in connection with the topology of the potential energy landscape in configuration space. An analogy is made between the derived dynamical equations and Cooper's formulation of the pair equation in superconductivity.     

Manipulation of adsorbed atoms and creation of new structures on room-temperature surfaces with a scanning tunneling microscope

A general method of manipulating adsorbed atoms and molecules on room-temperature surfaces with the use of a scanning tunneling microscope is described. By applying an appropriate voltage pulse between the sample and probe tip, adsorbed atoms can be induced to diffuse into the region beneath the tip. The field-induced diffusion occurs preferentially toward the tip during the voltage pulse because of the local potential energy gradient arising from the interaction of the adsorbate dipole moment with the electric field gradient at the surface. Depending upon the surface and pulse parameters, cesium (Cs) structures from one nanometer to a few tens of nanometers across have been created in this way on the (110) surfaces of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium antimonide (InSb), including structures that do not naturally occur.     

Ultrafast optical kerr effect in liquids and solids

In the optical Kerr effect, the electric field of light incident on a transparent sample induces an anisotropic refractive index, which is measured by its effect on the passage of a second light beam. The advent of lasers powerful enough to generate a measurable effect, and which can be pulsed on femtosecond time scales, has made the optical Kerr effect into a practical technology for investigating the molecular structure and interactions of condensed systems such as pure liquids, liquid solutions, and plastic crystals.     

Electronic confinement and coherence in patterned epitaxial graphene

Ultrathin epitaxial graphite was grown on single-crystal silicon carbide by vacuum graphitization. The material can be patterned using standard nanolithography methods. The transport properties, which are closely related to those of carbon nanotubes, are dominated by the single epitaxial graphene layer at the silicon carbide interface and reveal the Dirac nature of the charge carriers. Patterned structures show quantum confinement of electrons and phase coherence lengths beyond 1 micrometer at 4 kelvin, with mobilities exceeding 2.5 square meters per volt-second. All-graphene electronically coherent devices and device architectures are envisaged.     

Motions of molecules in liquids: viscosity and diffusivity

The fluidity of a simple liquid is proportional to its degree of expansion over the volume, V(0), at which its molecules are so crowded as to inhibit self-diffusion and viscous (as distinguished from plastic) flow. The equation of proportionality is 1/eta = B[(V - V(0))/V(0)] where eta is the viscosity and V is the molal volume. Values of B are the same for normal paraffins from C(3)H(8) to C(7)H(16) and then decrease progressively as the paraffin lengths increase. Values for other liquids, C(6)H(6), CCl(4), P(4), CS(2), CHCl(3), and Hg, appear to vary with repulsive forces. liquids can be moderately fluid when expanded by less than 10 percent; this shows the unreality of some theoretical treatments of the liquid state. Diffusivity begins from the temperature at which V equals V(0) and can be correlated for temperature dependence, and for solute-solvent interrelations.     

Functions of sphingolipids and sphingolipid breakdown products in cellular regulation

The discovery that breakdown products of cellular sphingolipids are biologically active has generated interest in the role of these molecules in cell physiology and pathology. Sphingolipid breakdown products, sphingosine and lysosphingolipids, inhibit protein kinase C, a pivotal enzyme in cell regulation and signal transduction. Sphingolipids and lysosphingolipids affect significant cellular responses and exhibit antitumor promoter activities in various mammalian cells. These molecules may function as endogenous modulators of cell function and possibly as second messengers.     

Spin-light coherence for single-spin measurement and control in diamond

The exceptional spin coherence of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond motivates their function in emerging quantum technologies. Traditionally, the spin state of individual centers is measured optically and destructively. We demonstrate dispersive, single-spin coupling to light for both nondestructive spin measurement, through the Faraday effect, and coherent spin manipulation, through the optical Stark effect. These interactions can enable the coherent exchange of quantum information between single nitrogen-vacancy spins and light, facilitating coherent measurement, control, and entanglement that is scalable over large distances.