Dynamics of Poly(Vinyl Acetate) in Bulk and on Silica

Quadrupole echo deuterium NMR has been used to probe the dynamics of poly(vinyl acetate-d3) in bulk and at saturation coverage (from toluene) on silica at the solid-air interface. In bulk and at lower temperatures, the deuterium powder pattern of the labeled methyl group was found to be consistent with fast threefold jumps with a small asymmetry due to the interaction of the methyl deuteron with the carbonyl oxygen. This apparent asymmetry was a result either of a distortion in the C-C-D bond angle or a reduction of the axial symmetry of the electric field gradient along the C-D bond vector. At higher temperatures, the onset of backbone motion of the polymer caused the collapse of the powder pattern to a single broad resonance over a fairly small temperature range between 65 and 73°C. The collapse was well above the glass transition temperature as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, Tg(DSC) = 32°C, and can be considered the Tg(NMR). The differences in temperatures for these two experiments are due to their different time scales. For the PVAc-d3 adsorbed at monolayer coverage on a silica surface, a small fraction was found to result in a collapsed powder pattern below the Tg(NMR). This fraction with enhanced mobility was believed to be located near the air-polymer interface. The powder pattern for the majority of the surface-bound polymer was found to collapse gradually with temperature, with a rigid component observable well above the temperature where the splittings for all of the bulk material had collapsed. Thus, from the deuterium NMR spectra, it is possible to deduce that on a surface, different segments from a single molecule exhibit a range of mobilities

Rotational Broadening and Doppler Tomography of the Quiescent X-Ray Nova Centaurus X-4

We present high and intermediate resolution spectroscopy of the X-ray nova Centaurus X-4 during its quiescent phase. Our analysis of the absorption features supports a K3-K5V spectral classification for the companion star, which contributes approximately 75 % of the total flux at Halpha. Using the high resolution spectra we have measured the secondary star's rotational broadening to be V_rot*sin(i) = 43 +/- 6 km/s and determined a binary mass ratio of q=0.17 +/- 0.06. Combining our results for K_2 and q with the published limits for the binary inclination, we constrain the mass of the compact object and the secondary star to the ranges 0.49 < M_1 < 2.49 Msun and 0.04 < M_2 < 0.58 Msun. A Doppler image of the Halpha line shows emission coming from the secondary star, but no hotspot is present. We discuss the possible origins of this emission.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted by MNRA

The mass of the neutron star in Cyg X-2 (V1341 Cyg)

Cygnus X-2 is one of the brightest and longest known X-ray sources. We present high resolution optical spectroscopy of Cyg X-2 obtained over 4 years which gives an improved mass function of 0.69 +/- 0.03 Msun (1 sigma error). In addition, we resolve the rotationally broadened absorption features of the secondary star for the first time, deriving a rotation speed of vsin(i) = 34.2 +/- 2.5 km per s (1 sigma error) which leads to a mass ratio of q = M_c/M_x = 0.34 +/- 0.04 (1 sigma error), assuming a tidally-locked and Roche lobe-filling secondary). Hence with the lack of X-ray eclipses (i.e. i <~ 73 degrees) we can set firm 95% confidence lower limits to the neutron star mass of M_x > 1.27 Msun and to the companion star mass of M_c > 0.39 Msun. However, by additionally requiring that the companion must exceed 0.75 Msun (as required theoretically to produce a steady low-mass X-ray binary), then M_x > 1.88 Msun and i < 61 degrees (95% confidence lower and upper limit, respectively), thereby making Cyg X-2 the highest mass neutron star measured to date. If confirmed this would set significant constraints on the equation of state of nuclear matter.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, ApJ Letters, accepted, LaTeX, aasms4.st

A terahertz-driven non-equilibrium phase transition in a room temperature atomic vapour

There are few demonstrated examples of phase transitions that may be driven directly by terahertz frequency electric fields, and those that are known require field strengths exceeding 1MV cm−1. Here we report a non-equilibrium phase transition driven by a weak (≪1 V cm−1), continuous-wave terahertz electric field. The system consists of room temperature caesium vapour under continuous optical excitation to a high-lying Rydberg state, which is resonantly coupled to a nearby level by the terahertz electric field. We use a simple model to understand the underlying physical behaviour, and we demonstrate two protocols to exploit the phase transition as a narrowband terahertz detector: the first with a fast (20 μs) non-linear response to nano-Watts of incident radiation, and the second with a linearised response and effective noise equivalent power ≤1 pWHz−1/2. The work opens the door to a class of terahertz devices controlled with low-field intensities and operating in a room temperature environment