Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering of carbon dioxide

The spectral lineshape of spontaneous Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering in CO2 is studied in a range of pressures. The spectrum is influenced by the bulk viscosity, which is a relaxation phenomenon involving the internal degrees of freedom of the molecule. The associated relaxation rates can be compared to the frequency shift of the scattered light, which demands precise measurements of the spectral lineshape. We find the value of the bulk viscosity around 5.7 X 10^{-6} kg/(ms) for the range of pressures p= 2-4 bar and for conditions of room temperature

Inception and propagation of positive streamers in high-purity nitrogen: effects of the voltage rise-rate

Controlling streamer morphology is important for numerous applications. Up to now, the effect of the voltage rise rate was only studied across a wide range. Here we show that even slight variations in the voltage rise can have significant effects. We have studied positive streamer discharges in a 16 cm point-plane gap in high-purity nitrogen 6.0, created by 25 kV pulses with a duration of 130 ns. The voltage rise varies by a rise rate from 1.9 kV/ns to 2.7 kV/ns and by the first peak voltage of 22 to 28 kV. A structural link is found between smaller discharges with a larger inception cloud caused by a faster rising voltage. This relation is explained by the greater stability of the inception cloud due to a faster voltage rise, causing a delay in the destabilisation. Time-resolved measurements show that the inception cloud propagates slower than an earlier destabilised, more filamentary discharge. This explains that the discharge with a faster rising voltage pulse ends up to be shorter. Furthermore, the effect of remaining background ionisation in a pulse sequence has been studied, showing that channel thickness and branching rate are locally affected, depending on the covered volume of the previous discharge.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

Cu-Mg-Fe-O-(Ce) complex oxides as catalysts of selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen (NH3-SCO)

Multicomponent oxide systems 800-Cu-Mg-Fe-O and 800-Cu-Mg-Fe-O-Ce were tested as catalysts of selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen (NH3-SCO) process. Materials were obtained by calcination of hydrotalcite-like compounds at temperature 800 degrees C. Some catalysts were doped with cerium by the wet impregnation method. Not only simple oxides, but also complex spinel-like phases were formed during calcination. The influence of chemical composition, especially the occurrence of spinel phases, copper loading and impregnation by cerium, were investigated. Materials were characterized by several techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (BET), cyclic voltammetry (CV), temperature programmed reduction (H-2-TPR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Examined oxides were found to be active as catalysts of selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia with high selectivity to N-2 at temperatures above 300 degrees C. Catalysts with low copper amounts (up to 12 wt %) impregnated by Ce were slightly more active at lower temperatures (up to 350 degrees C) than non-impregnated samples. However, when an optimal amount of copper (12 wt %) was used, the presence of cerium did not affect catalytic properties. Copper overloading caused a rearrangement of present phases accompanied by the steep changes in reducibility, specific surface area, direct band gap, crystallinity, dispersion of CuO active phase and Cu2+ accessibility leading to the decrease in catalytic activity.Web of Science102art. no. 15

Slow decay of radiation after a pulsed streamer discharge in pure nitrogen

Light emission and electrical characteristics in the early post-discharge of a high purity nitrogen streamer have been investigated. Up to the millisecond regime, both light emission and current are significant, while the voltage has decayed after several tens of microseconds. The corresponding decay time constants are 240 µs and 580 µs for the current and radiance, respectively, versus 3.8 µs for the voltage decay. This suggests that energy transfer to high vibrational levels of N2 (X 1 Σ, ν) and high population of metastable N2 (A3 Σ+ ) species are important in sustaining the discharge

Extra-terrestrial sprites: laboratory investigations in planetary gas mixtures

We investigate streamers in gas mixtures representing the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn (H2-He) and Venus (CO2-N2). Streamer diameters, velocities, radiance and overall morphology are investigated with fast ICCD camera images. We confirm experimentally the scaling of streamer diameters in these gases by studying streamers with minimal diameters. The brightness of laboratory streamers is investigated, and a scaling model for atmospheric sprites is proposed. Fitting the scaling model with measurements, we give an estimate of minimal sprite brightness on Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. The estimated brightness of terrestrial sprites agrees well with observations and with existing models, and may serve as a benchmark for space-based observations of TLEs by planetary missions such as Cassini and Juno

Design Space Exploration for Distributed Cyber-Physical Systems: State-of-the-art, Challenges, and Directions

Computer Systems, Imagery and Medi

The physics of streamer discharge phenomena

In this review we describe a transient type of gas discharge which is commonly called a streamer discharge, as well as a few related phenomena in pulsed discharges. Streamers are propagating ionization fronts with self-organized field enhancement at their tips that can appear in gases at (or close to) atmospheric pressure. They are the precursors of other discharges like sparks and lightning, but they also occur in for example corona reactors or plasma jets which are used for a variety of plasma chemical purposes. When enough space is available, streamers can also form at much lower pressures, like in the case of sprite discharges high up in the atmosphere. We explain the structure and basic underlying physics of streamer discharges, and how they scale with gas density. We discuss the chemistry and applications of streamers, and describe their two main stages in detail: inception and propagation. We also look at some other topics, like interaction with flow and heat, related pulsed discharges, and electron runaway and high energy radiation. Finally, we discuss streamer simulations and diagnostics in quite some detail. This review is written with two purposes in mind: First, we describe recent results on the physics of streamer discharges, with a focus on the work performed in our groups. We also describe recent developments in diagnostics and simulations of streamers. Second, we provide background information on the above-mentioned aspects of streamers. This review can therefore be used as a tutorial by researchers starting to work in the field of streamer physics.Comment: 89 pages, 29 figure