12,709 research outputs found
Sub-Terahertz Monochromatic Transduction with Semiconductor Acoustic Nanodevices
We demonstrate semiconductor superlattices or nanocavities as narrow band
acoustic transducers in the sub-terahertz range. Using picosecond ultrasonics
experiments in the transmission geometry with pump and probe incident on
opposite sides of the thick substrate, phonon generation and detection
processes are fully decoupled. Generating with the semiconductor device and
probing on the metal, we show that both superlattices and nanocavities generate
spectrally narrow wavepackets of coherent phonons with frequencies in the
vicinity of the zone center and time durations in the nanosecond range,
qualitatively different from picosecond broadband pulses usually involved in
picosecond acoustics with metal generators. Generating in the metal and probing
on the nanoacoustic device, we furthermore evidence that both nanostructured
semiconductor devices may be used as very sensitive and spectrally selective
detectors
Aerospace lubrication technology transfer to industrial applications
Difficulties encountered in entering industrial markets with an aerospace lubrication and coating technology are discussed along with the technical, financial, and managerial solutions that evolved
Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn
We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell
device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to
accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under
pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional
techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in
studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a
metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon
and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in
AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application
in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid
state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as
Earth and planetary science or material research
Effect of picosecond strain pulses on thin layers of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P)
The effect of picosecond acoustic strain pulses (ps-ASP) on a thin layer of
(Ga,Mn)As co-doped with phosphorus was probed using magneto-optical Kerr effect
(MOKE). A transient MOKE signal followed by low amplitude oscillations was
evidenced, with a strong dependence on applied magnetic field, temperature and
ps-ASP amplitude. Careful interferometric measurement of the layer's thickness
variation induced by the ps-ASP allowed us to model very accurately the
resulting signal, and interpret it as the strain modulated reflectivity
(differing for probe polarizations), independently from dynamic
magnetization effects.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Partial frequencies and Chladni’s law in church bells
The rim partials of a church bell (those with an antinode at the soundbow) generate the strike pitch or perceived note of the bell. The spacing in frequency of the higher rim partials has an important effect on the tonal quality of the bell. Investigations into the partial frequencies of 2752 bells, both bronze and steel, of a wide variety of dates, founders and sizes, show a simple and unexpected relationship between the frequencies of the rim partials. This relationship explains why attempts to tune the higher rim partials independently have failed. A modified version of Chladni’s law provides insight into the musical relationship of the partials, and predicts the partials of individual bells well, but fails to give a simple model of the spacing between the partials seen in bells with different profiles
The molecular and dusty composition of Betelgeuse's inner circumstellar environment
The study of the atmosphere of red supergiant stars in general and of
Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis) in particular is of prime importance to understand
dust formation and how mass is lost to the interstellar medium in evolved
massive stars. A molecular shell, the MOLsphere (Tsuji, 2000a), in the
atmosphere of Betelgeuse has been proposed to account for the near- and
mid-infrared spectroscopic observations of Betelgeuse. The goal is to further
test this hypothesis and to identify some of the molecules in this MOLsphere.
We report on measurements taken with the mid-infrared two-telescope beam
combiner of the VLTI, MIDI, operated between 7.5 and 13.5 m. The data are
compared to a simple geometric model of a photosphere surrounded by a warm
absorbing and emitting shell. Physical characteristics of the shell are
derived: size, temperature and optical depth. The chemical constituents are
determined with an analysis consistent with available infrared spectra and
interferometric data. We are able to account for the measured optical depth of
the shell in the N band, the ISO-SWS spectrum and K and L band interferometric
data with a shell whose inner and outer radii are given by the above range and
with the following species: H2O, SiO and Al2O3. These results confirm the
MOLsphere model. We bring evidence for more constituents and for the presence
of species participating in the formation of dust grains in the atmosphere of
the star, i.e. well below the distance at which the dust shell is detected. We
believe these results bring key elements to the understanding of mass loss in
Betelgeuse and red supergiants in general and bring support to the dust-driven
scenario.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Competing interactions in artificial spin chains
The low-energy magnetic configurations of artificial frustrated spin chains
are investigated using magnetic force microscopy and micromagnetic simulations.
Contrary to most studies on two-dimensional artificial spin systems where
frustration arises from the lattice geometry, here magnetic frustration
originates from competing interactions between neighboring spins. By tuning
continuously the strength and sign of these interactions, we show that
different magnetic phases can be stabilized. Comparison between our
experimental findings and predictions from the one-dimensional Anisotropic
Next-Nearest-Neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model reveals that artificial frustrated
spin chains have a richer phase diagram than initially expected. Besides the
observation of several magnetic orders and the potential extension of this work
to highly-degenerated artificial spin chains, our results suggest that the
micromagnetic nature of the individual magnetic elements allows observation of
metastable spin configurations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
In the wake of Terra Nullius?
Terra nullius is the principle of a violence that inheres in every origin. And, in its wake, there is no law, no text, no culture, free ofthat violence. The origin is no accident. Terra nullius is not an historical error. Our conceptual legacy is the unsettled and unsettling history of this violence. It demands critical... thinking. Or else... we are condemned to repeat this origin again and again
Droplets move over viscoelastic substrates by surfing a ridge
Liquid drops on soft solids generate strong deformations below the contact
line, resulting from a balance of capillary and elastic forces. The movement of
these drops may cause strong, potentially singular dissipation in the soft
solid. Here we show that a drop on a soft substrate moves by surfing a ridge:
the initially flat solid surface is deformed into a sharp ridge whose
orientation angle depends on the contact line velocity. We measure this angle
for water on a silicone gel and develop a theory based on the substrate
rheology. We quantitatively recover the dynamic contact angle and provide a
mechanism for stick-slip motion when a drop is forced strongly: the contact
line depins and slides down the wetting ridge, forming a new one after a
transient. We anticipate that our theory will have implications in problems
such as self-organization of cell tissues or the design of capillarity-based
microrheometers.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
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