A versatile latex-based route furnishing polymer/carbon nanofiller composites

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The Replication Argument for Incompatibilism

In this paper, I articulate an argument for incompatibilism about moral responsibility and determinism. My argument comes in the form of an extended story, modeled loosely on Peter van Inwagen’s “rollback argument” scenario. I thus call it “the replication argument.” As I aim to bring out, though the argument is inspired by so-called “manipulation” and “original design” arguments, the argument is not a version of either such argument—and plausibly has advantages over both. The result, I believe, is a more convincing incompatibilist argument than those we have considered previously

O(\alpha^2 \ln(m_\mu/m_e)) Corrections to Electron Energy Spectrum in Muon Decay

O(\alpha^2 \ln(m_\mu/m_e)) corrections to electron energy spectrum in muon decay are computed using perturbative fragmentation function approach. The magnitude of these corrections is comparable to anticipated precision of the TWIST experiment at TRIUMF where Michel parameters will be extracted from the measurement of the electron energy spectrum in muon decay.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, revtex4.cls, 1 PostScript figur

Window on Higgs Boson: Fourth Generation b′b^\prime Decays Revisited

Direct and indirect searches of the Higgs boson suggest that 113 GeV $\lesssim m_H \lesssim$ 170 GeV is likely. With the LEP era over and the Tevatron Run II search via $p\bar p \to WH+X$ arduous, we revisit a case where $WH$ or $ZH +$ jets could arise via strong $b^\prime\bar b^\prime$ pair production. In contrast to 10 years ago, the tight electroweak constraint on $t^\prime$--$b^\prime$ (hence $t^\prime$--$t$) splitting reduces FCNC $b^\prime\to bZ$, $bH$ rates, making $b^\prime\to cW$ naturally competitive. Such a "cocktail solution" is precisely the mix that could evade the CDF search for $b^\prime\to bZ$, and the $b^\prime$ may well be lurking below the top. In light of the Higgs program, this two-in-one strategy should be pursued.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 4 eps figures, One more figure, version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Bounds on the mass of the b' quark, revisited

Recent results from the DELPHI collaboration led us to review the present bounds on the b' quark mass. We use all available experimental data for m_b' > 96 GeV to constrain the b' quark mass as a function of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa elements in a sequential four generations model. We find that there is still room for a b' with a mass larger than 96 GeV.Comment: 9 pages and 7 figures. REVTEX

Self-assembled conjugated polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes as efficient cathode interlayer materials for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells

Conjugated polyelectrolyte–surfactant cathodic interface layers lead to improved power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells.</p

Phosphonium-based polythiophene conjugated polyelectrolytes with different surfactant counterions: thermal properties, self-assembly and photovoltaic performances

© 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry Phosphonium-based polythiophene conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) with three different counterions (dodecylsulfate, octylsulfate and perfluorooctane sulfonate) are synthesized to determine how the nature of the counterion affects the thermal properties, the self-assembly in thin films and the performance as the cathode interfacial layer in polymer solar cells (PSCs). The counterion has a significant effect on the thermal properties of the CPEs, affecting both their glass transition and crystalline behaviour. Grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering studies also indicate that changing the nature of the counterion influences the microstructural organization in thin films (face-on versus edge-on orientation). The affinity of the CPEs with the underlying photoactive layer in PSCs is highly correlated with the counterion species. Finally, in addition to an increase of the power conversion efficiency of ca 15% when using these CPEs as cathode interfacial layers in PSCs, a higher device stability is noted, compared to a reference device with a calcium interlayer. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry

Gravitational decays of heavy particles in large extra dimensions

In the framework of quantum gravity propagating in large extra dimensions, we analyze the inclusive radiative emission of Kaluza-Klein spin-2 gravitons in the two-fermions decays of massive gauge bosons, heavy quarks, Higgs bosons, and in the two-massive gauge bosons decay of Higgs bosons. We provide analytical expressions for the square modulus of amplitudes summed over polarizations, and numerical results for the widths and branching ratios. The corresponding decays in the Z, top quark, and Higgs boson sectors of the standard model are analyzed in the light of present and future experiments.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures, notation slightly changed, a few comments adde