104 research outputs found
A schlieren method for ultra-low angle light scattering measurements
We describe a self calibrating optical technique that allows to perform
absolute measurements of scattering cross sections for the light scattered at
extremely small angles. Very good performances are obtained by using a very
simple optical layout similar to that used for the schlieren method, a
technique traditionally used for mapping local refraction index changes. The
scattered intensity distribution is recovered by a statistical analysis of the
random interference of the light scattered in a half-plane of the scattering
wave vectors and the main transmitted beam. High quality data can be obtained
by proper statistical accumulation of scattered intensity frames, and the
static stray light contributions can be eliminated rigorously. The
potentialities of the method are tested in a scattering experiment from non
equilibrium fluctuations during a free diffusion experiment. Contributions of
light scattered from length scales as long as Lambda=1 mm can be accurately
determined.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Characterization of anisotropic nano-particles by using depolarized dynamic light scattering in the near field
Light scattering techniques are widely used in many fields of condensed and
sof t matter physics. Usually these methods are based on the study of the
scattered light in the far field. Recently, a new family of near field
detection schemes has been developed, mainly for the study of small angle light
scattering. These techniques are based on the detection of the light intensity
near to the sample, where light scattered at different directions overlaps but
can be distinguished by Fourier transform analysis. Here we report for the
first time data obtained with a dynamic near field scattering instrument,
measuring both polarized and depolarized scattered light. Advantages of this
procedure over the traditional far field detection include the immunity to
stray light problems and the possibility to obtain a large number of
statistical samples for many different wave vectors in a single instantaneous
measurement. By using the proposed technique we have measured the translational
and rotational diffusion coefficients of rod-like colloidal particles. The
obtained data are in very good agreement with the data acquired with a
traditional light scattering apparatus.Comment: Published in Optics Express. This version has changes in bibliograph
Nanoparticle characterization by using Tilted Laser Microscopy: back scattering measurement in near field
By using scattering in near field techniques, a microscope can be easily
turned into a device measuring static and dynamic light scattering, very useful
for the characterization of nanoparticle dispersions. Up to now, microscopy
based techniques have been limited to forward scattering, up to a maximum of 30
degrees. In this paper we present a novel optical scheme that overcomes this
limitation, extending the detection range to angles larger than 90 degrees
(back-scattering). Our optical scheme is based on a microscope, a wide
numerical aperture objective, and a laser illumination, with the collimated
beam positioned at a large angle with respect to the optical axis of the
objective (Tilted Laser Microscopy, TLM). We present here an extension of the
theory for near field scattering, which usually applies only to paraxial
scattering, to our strongly out-of-axis s ituation. We tested our instrument
and our calculations with calibrated spherical nanoparticles of several
different diameters, performing static and dynamic scattering measurements up
to 110 degrees. The measured static spectra and decay times are compatible with
the Mie theory and the diffusion coefficients provided by the Stokes-Einstein
equation. The ability of performing backscattering measurements with this
modified microscope opens the way to new applications of scattering in near
field techniques to the measurement of systems with strongly angle dependent
scattering.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Optics Express,
vol. 17, no. 17 (08/17/2009
Shear-induced quench of long-range correlations in a liquid mixture
A static correlation function of concentration fluctuations in a (dilute)
binary liquid mixture subjected to both a concentration gradient and uniform
shear flow is investigated within the framework of fluctuating hydrodynamics.
It is shown that a well-known long-range correlation at
large wave numbers crosses over to a weaker divergent one for wave numbers
satisfying , while an asymptotic shear-controlled
power-law dependence is confirmed at much smaller wave numbers given by , where , , and are the
mass concentration, the rate of the shear, the mass diffusivity and the
kinematic viscosity of the mixture, respectively. The result will provide for
the first time the possibility to observe the shear-induced suppression of a
long-range correlation experimentally by using, for example, a low-angle light
scattering technique.Comment: 8pages, 2figure
"Blue energy" from ion adsorption and electrode charging in sea- and river water
A huge amount of entropy is produced at places where fresh water and seawater
mix, for example at river mouths. This mixing process is a potentially enormous
source of sustainable energy, provided it is harnessed properly, for instance
by a cyclic charging and discharging process of porous electrodes immersed in
salt and fresh water, respectively [D. Brogioli, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 058501
(2009)]. Here we employ a modified Poisson-Boltzmann free-energy density
functional to calculate the ionic adsorption and desorption onto and from the
charged electrodes, from which the electric work of a cycle is deduced. We
propose optimal (most efficient) cycles for two given salt baths involving two
canonical and two grand-canonical (dis)charging paths, in analogy to the
well-known Carnot cycle for heat-to-work conversion from two heat baths
involving two isothermal and two adiabatic paths. We also suggest a slightly
modified cycle which can be applied in cases that the stream of fresh water is
limited.Comment: 7 Figure
Variability of selected trace elements of different meat cuts determined by ICP-MS and DRC-ICPMS
The aim of this study was to determine the levels of cadmium, lead, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper and molybdenum in different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and foal collected from supermarkets and butcheries in Switzerland. The concentrations of manganese, copper, molybdenum, zinc, iron, selenium, cadmium and lead were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion. Mean values and their respective coefficients of variation were calculated from the measured concentrations. The concentrations found for cadmium and lead ranged from 0.6 to 3.9 μg/100 g and 1.0 to 2.1 μg/100 g, respectively. Concentrations ranged between 0.5 and 3.3 mg/100 g for iron, 0.7 and 5.1 mg/100 g for zinc, 9 and 44 μg/100 g for selenium, 3.1 and 16.7 μg/100 g for manganese, 0.3 and 132 μg/100 g for copper and 0.9 and 3.2 μg/100 g for molybdenum. Differences found for the concentrations in meat from different species as well as between the individual meat cuts were notable for iron, zinc, selenium and copper. Manganese concentrations were found to vary unsystematically within muscles and species. Molybdenum concentrations were higher in chicken meat in comparison with the mammalian meats. The highest coefficients of variation were found for manganese (13% to 142%) and copper (13% to 224%), while the lowest was found for zinc (4% to 45%). In conclusion, in order to provide an accurate overview and to be able to calculate reliable dietary intakes, it is important to include the variability in food composition dat
Real-Time Wavelet-transform spectrum analyzer for the investigation of 1/f^\alpha noise
A wavelet transform spectrum analyzer operating in real time within the
frequency range 3X10^(-5) - 1.3X10^5 Hz has been implemented on a low-cost
Digital Signal Processing board operating at 150MHz. The wavelet decomposition
of the signal allows to efficiently process non-stationary signals dominated by
large amplitude events fairly well localized in time, thus providing the
natural tool to analyze processes characterized by 1/f^alpha power spectrum.
The parallel architecture of the DSP allows the real-time processing of the
wavelet transform of the signal sampled at 0.3MHz. The bandwidth is about
220dB, almost ten decades. The power spectrum of the scattered intensity is
processed in real time from the mean square value of the wavelet coefficients
within each frequency band. The performances of the spectrum analyzer have been
investigated by performing Dynamic Light Scattering experiments on colloidal
suspensions and by comparing the measured spectra with the correlation
functions data obtained with a traditional multi tau correlator. In order to
asses the potentialities of the spectrum analyzer in the investigation of
processes involving a wide range of timescales, we have performed measurements
on a model system where fluctuations in the scattered intensities are generated
by the number fluctuations in a dilute colloidal suspension illuminated by a
wide beam. This system is characterized by a power-law spectrum with exponent
-3/2 in the scattered intensity fluctuations. The spectrum analyzer allows to
recover the power spectrum with a dynamic range spanning about 8 decades. The
advantages of wavelet analysis versus correlation analysis in the investigation
of processes characterized by a wide distribution of time scales and
non-stationary processes are briefly discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
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