A local field emission study of partially aligned carbon-nanotubes by AFM probe

We report on the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for studying the Field Emission (FE) properties of a dense array of long and vertically quasi-aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes grown by catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition on a silicon substrate. The use of nanometric probes enables local field emission measurements allowing investigation of effects non detectable with a conventional parallel plate setup, where the emission current is averaged on a large sample area. The micrometric inter-electrode distance let achieve high electric fields with a modest voltage source. Those features allowed us to characterize field emission for macroscopic electric fields up to 250 V/$\mu$m and attain current densities larger than 10$^5$ A/cm$^2$. FE behaviour is analyzed in the framework of the Fowler-Nordheim theory. A field enhancement factor $\gamma \approx$ 40-50 and a turn-on field $E_{turn-on} \sim$15 V/$\mu$m at an inter-electrode distance of 1 $\mu$m are estimated. Current saturation observed at high voltages in the I-V characteristics is explained in terms of a series resistance of the order of M$\Omega$. Additional effects as electrical conditioning, CNT degradation, response to laser irradiation and time stability are investigated and discussed

Probing the superconducting condensate on a nanometer scale

Superconductivity is a rare example of a quantum system in which the wavefunction has a macroscopic quantum effect, due to the unique condensate of electron pairs. The amplitude of the wavefunction is directly related to the pair density, but both amplitude and phase enter the Josephson current : the coherent tunneling of pairs between superconductors. Very sensitive devices exploit the superconducting state, however properties of the {\it condensate} on the {\it local scale} are largely unknown, for instance, in unconventional high-T$_c$ cuprate, multiple gap, and gapless superconductors. The technique of choice would be Josephson STS, based on Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS), where the condensate is {\it directly} probed by measuring the local Josephson current (JC) between a superconducting tip and sample. However, Josephson STS is an experimental challenge since it requires stable superconducting tips, and tunneling conditions close to atomic contact. We demonstrate how these difficulties can be overcome and present the first spatial mapping of the JC on the nanometer scale. The case of an MgB$_2$ film, subject to a normal magnetic field, is considered.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Highly optimized transitions to turbulence

We study the Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensional plane Couette flow geometry subject to stream-wise constant initial conditions and perturbations. The resulting two dimensional/three component (2D/3C) model has no bifurcations and is globally (non-linearly) stable for all Reynolds numbers R, yet has a total transient energy amplification that scales like R/sup 3/. These transients also have the particular dynamic flow structures known to play a central role in wall bounded shear flow transition and turbulence. This suggests a highly optimized tolerance (HOT) model of shear flow turbulence, where streamlining eliminates generic bifurcation cascade transitions that occur in bluff body flows, resulting in a flow which is stable to arbitrary changes in Reynolds number but highly fragile in amplifying arbitrarily small perturbations. This result indicates that transition and turbulence in special streamlined geometries is not a problem of linear or nonlinear instability, but rather a problem of robustness

Vacuum freeze-drying effect on bioactive compounds of eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.).

Vacuum Freeze Drying (VFD) is a low temperature drying technique that may be used for food preservation. The aim of this work is to evaluate how VFD operating conditions affect eggplants bioactive compounds loss after drying. Samples were freeze-dried under different pressure and temperature conditions, and had their ascorbic acid, total polyphenol and antioxidant capacity percent loss measured after processing. Under the tested conditions, lower temperatures resulted in lower antioxidant capacity in the final product, while lower chamber pressures resulted in lower total polyphenol content

Local Tunneling Study of Three-Dimensional Order Parameter in the π\pi-band of Al-doped MgB2_2 Single Crystals

We have performed local tunneling spectroscopy on high quality Mg$_{1-x}$Al$_x$B$_2$ single crystals by means of Variable Temperature Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) in magnetic field up to 3 Tesla. Single gap conductance spectra due to c-axis tunneling were extensively measured, probing different amplitudes of the three-dimensional $\Delta_\pi$ as a function of Al content. Temperature and magnetic field dependences of the conductance spectra were studied in S-I-N configuration: the effect of the doping resulted in a monotonous reduction of the locally measured $T_C$ down to 24K for x=0.2. On the other hand, we have found that the gap amplitude shows a maximum value $\Delta_\pi= 2.3$ meV for x=0.1, while the $\Delta_\pi / T_C$ ratio increases monotonously with doping. The locally measured upper critical field was found to be strongly related to the gap amplitude, showing the maximum value $H_{c2}\simeq3T$ for x=0.1 substituted samples. For this Al concentration the data revealed some spatial inhomogeneity in the distribution of $\Delta_\pi$ on nanometer scale.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Diffuse interface modeling of eggplants vacuum freeze-drying process

Vacuum freeze-drying (VFD) can be used for preserving food with small effects on nutritional qualities. VFD modelling is useful to select off-line the best operating conditions to avoid product overheating and reduce the drying time, thus saving energy. A 3D diffuse interface model was developed to simulate in-silico eggplant VFD. By comparing the experimental drying time and product temperature, heat transfer coefficient and vapor diffusivity were estimated under different operating conditions

Perturbation Energy Production in Pipe Flow over a Range of Reynolds Numbers using Resolvent Analysis

The response of pipe flow to physically realistic, temporally and spatially continuous(periodic) forcing is investigated by decomposing the resolvent into orthogonal forcing and response pairs ranked according to their contribution to the resolvent 2-norm. Modelling the non-linear terms normally neglected by linearisation as unstructured forcing permits qualitative extrapolation of the resolvent norm results beyond infinitesimally small perturbations to the turbulent case. The concepts arising have a close relationship to input output transfer function analysis methods known in the control systems literature. The body forcings that yield highest disturbance energy gain are identified and ranked by the decomposition and a worst-case bound put on the energy gain integrated across the pipe cross-section. Analysis of the spectral variation of the corresponding response modes reveals interesting comparisons with recent observations of the behavior of the streamwise velocity in high Reynolds number (turbulent) pipe flow, including the importance of very long scales of the order of ten pipe radii, in the extraction of turbulent energy from the mean flow by the action of turbulent shear stress against the velocity gradient