Psychological Problems of College Freshmen

Charles H. Scheidler, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology; Staff member of Psychological Services Center; U.D. Alumni Award 1961; Frequent lecturer in the Dayton area; Regular staff member in Management Program for Air Force Personnel; Member of Student Welfare Council; Author of U. D. Scholastic Evaluation Test (1960)

The relaxation dynamics of a simple glass former confined in a pore

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to investigate the relaxation dynamics of a binary Lennard-Jones liquid confined in a narrow pore. We find that the average dynamics is strongly influenced by the confinement in that time correlation functions are much more stretched than in the bulk. By investigating the dynamics of the particles as a function of their distance from the wall, we can show that this stretching is due to a strong dependence of the relaxation time on this distance, i.e. that the dynamics is spatially very heterogeneous. In particular we find that the typical relaxation time of the particles close to the wall is orders of magnitude larger than the one of particles in the center of the pore.Comment: 9 pages of Latex, 4 figure

Imbibition in mesoporous silica: rheological concepts and experiments on water and a liquid crystal

We present, along with some fundamental concepts regarding imbibition of liquids in porous hosts, an experimental, gravimetric study on the capillarity-driven invasion dynamics of water and of the rod-like liquid crystal octyloxycyanobiphenyl (8OCB) in networks of pores a few nanometers across in monolithic silica glass (Vycor). We observe, in agreement with theoretical predictions, square root of time invasion dynamics and a sticky velocity boundary condition for both liquids investigated. Temperature-dependent spontaneous imbibition experiments on 8OCB reveal the existence of a paranematic phase due to the molecular alignment induced by the pore walls even at temperatures well beyond the clearing point. The ever present velocity gradient in the pores is likely to further enhance this ordering phenomenon and prevent any layering in molecular stacks, eventually resulting in a suppression of the smectic phase in favor of the nematic phase.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

Exact results for the optical absorption of strongly correlated electrons in a half-filled Peierls-distorted chain

In this second of three articles on the optical absorption of electrons in a half-filled Peierls-distorted chain we present exact results for strongly correlated tight-binding electrons. In the limit of a strong on-site interaction $U$ we map the Hubbard model onto the Harris-Lange model which can be solved exactly in one dimension in terms of spinless fermions for the charge excitations. The exact solution allows for an interpretation of the charge dynamics in terms of parallel Hubbard bands with a free-electron dispersion of band-width $W$, separated by the Hubbard interaction $U$. The spin degrees of freedom enter the expressions for the optical absorption only via a momentum dependent but static ground state expectation value. The remaining spin problem can be traced out exactly since the eigenstates of the Harris-Lange model are spin-degenerate. This corresponds to the Hubbard model at temperatures large compared to the spin exchange energy. Explicit results are given for the optical absorption in the presence of a lattice distortion $\delta$ and a nearest-neighbor interaction $V$. We find that the optical absorption for $V=0$ is dominated by a peak at $\omega=U$ and broad but weak absorption bands for $| \omega -U | \leq W$. For an appreciable nearest-neighbor interaction, $V>W/2$, almost all spectral weight is transferred to Simpson's exciton band which is eventually Peierls-split.Comment: 50 pages REVTEX 3.0, 6 postscript figures; hardcopy versions before May 96 are obsolete; accepted for publication in The Philosophical Magazine

Theory of Electric Field-Induced Photoluminescence Quenching in Disordered Molecular Solids

The dynamics of excitons in disordered molecular solids is studied theoretically, taking into account migration between different sites, recombination, and dissociation into free charge carriers in the presence of an electric field. The theory is applied to interpret the results of electric field-induced photoluminescence (PL) quenching experiments on molecularly doped polymers by Deussen et al. [Chem. Phys. 207, 147 (1996)]. Using an intermolecular dissociation mechanism, the dependence of the PL quenching on the electric field strength and the dopant concentration, and the time evolution of the transient PL quenching can be well described. The results constitute additional proof of the distinct exciton dissociation mechanisms in conjugated polymer blends and molecularly doped polymers.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 3 Postscript figure

Non-monotonic temperature evolution of dynamic correlations in glass-forming liquids

The viscosity of glass-forming liquids increases by many orders of magnitude if their temperature is lowered by a mere factor of 2-3 [1,2]. Recent studies suggest that this widespread phenomenon is accompanied by spatially heterogeneous dynamics [3,4], and a growing dynamic correlation length quantifying the extent of correlated particle motion [5-7]. Here we use a novel numerical method to detect and quantify spatial correlations which reveal a surprising non-monotonic temperature evolution of spatial dynamical correlations, accompanied by a second length scale that grows monotonically and has a very different nature. Our results directly unveil a dramatic qualitative change in atomic motions near the mode-coupling crossover temperature [8] which involves no fitting or indirect theoretical interpretation. Our results impose severe new constraints on the theoretical description of the glass transition, and open several research perspectives, in particular for experiments, to confirm and quantify our observations in real materials.Comment: 7 page

Local influence of boundary conditions on a confined supercooled colloidal liquid

We study confined colloidal suspensions as a model system which approximates the behavior of confined small molecule glass-formers. Dense colloidal suspensions become glassier when confined between parallel glass plates. We use confocal microscopy to study the motion of confined colloidal particles. In particular, we examine the influence particles stuck to the glass plates have on nearby free particles. Confinement appears to be the primary influence slowing free particle motion, and proximity to stuck particles causes a secondary reduction in the mobility of free particles. Overall, particle mobility is fairly constant across the width of the sample chamber, but a strong asymmetry in boundary conditions results in a slight gradient of particle mobility.Comment: For conference proceedings, "Dynamics in Confinement", Grenoble, March 201

Frequency dependent specific heat of viscous silica

We apply the Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism to obtain an expression for the frequency dependent specific heat c(z) of a liquid. By using an exact transformation formula due to Lebowitz et al., we derive a relation between c(z) and K(t), the autocorrelation function of temperature fluctuations in the microcanonical ensemble. This connection thus allows to determine c(z) from computer simulations in equilibrium, i.e. without an external perturbation. By considering the generalization of K(t) to finite wave-vectors, we derive an expression to determine the thermal conductivity \lambda from such simulations. We present the results of extensive computer simulations in which we use the derived relations to determine c(z) over eight decades in frequency, as well as \lambda. The system investigated is a simple but realistic model for amorphous silica. We find that at high frequencies the real part of c(z) has the value of an ideal gas. c'(\omega) increases quickly at those frequencies which correspond to the vibrational excitations of the system. At low temperatures c'(\omega) shows a second step. The frequency at which this step is observed is comparable to the one at which the \alpha-relaxation peak is observed in the intermediate scattering function. Also the temperature dependence of the location of this second step is the same as the one of the $\alpha-$peak, thus showing that these quantities are intimately connected to each other. From c'(\omega) we estimate the temperature dependence of the vibrational and configurational part of the specific heat. We find that the static value of c(z) as well as \lambda are in good agreement with experimental data.Comment: 27 pages of Latex, 8 figure

High Efficiency Megawatt Motor Preliminary Design

The High Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM) is being designed to meet the needs of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP). A preliminary design has been completed and risk reduction activities are being conducted in three key areas: cryogenic cooler design, superconducting rotor coil design and manufacturing, and stator thermal management. The key objective of HEMM is to establish a motor technology which simultaneously attains high specific power (>16kW/kg ratio to electromagnetic weight) and high efficiency (>98%) by judicious application of high temperature superconducting wire and integrated thermal management. Another important feature is to achieve the performance goals with an eye to aircraft integration constraints. An electromagnetic analysis was performed which shows that the proposed HEMM design meets the performance objectives if key current capability and mechanical constraints are achieved. The risk reduction activities are the first assessment of the key design features. The HEMM technology could be applied to a range of aircraft types that require megawatt level electrical power

Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A tutorial introduction to the technique of Molecular Dynamics (MD) is given, and some characteristic examples of applications are described. The purpose and scope of these simulations and the relation to other simulation methods is discussed, and the basic MD algorithms are described. The sampling of intensive variables (temperature T, pressure p) in runs carried out in the microcanonical (NVE) ensemble (N= particle number, V = volume, E = energy) is discussed, as well as the realization of other ensembles (e.g. the NVT ensemble). For a typical application example, molten SiO2, the estimation of various transport coefficients (self-diffusion constants, viscosity, thermal conductivity) is discussed. As an example of Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD), a study of a glass-forming polymer melt under shear is mentioned.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures, to appear in J. Phys.: Condens. Matte