Lamp reliability studies for improved satellite rubidium frequency standard

In response to the premature failure of Rb lamps used in Rb atomic clocks onboard NAVSTAR GPS satellites experimental and theoretical investigations into their failure mechanism were initiated. The primary goal of these studies is the development of an accelerated life test for future GPS lamps. The primary failure mechanism was identified as consumption of the lamp's Rb charge via direct interaction between Rb and the lamp's glass surface. The most effective parameters to accelerate the interaction between the Rb and the glass are felt to be RF excitation power and lamp temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry is used to monitor the consumption of Rb within a lamp as a function of operation time. This technique yielded base line Rb consumption data for GPS lamps operating under normal conditions

Critical properties of the double exchange ferromagnet Nd0.4Pb0.4MnO3

Results of a study of dc-magnetization M(T, H), performed on a Nd0.6Pb0.4MnO3 single crystal in the temperature range around T_C (Curie temperature) which embraces the critical region | epsilon | = |T -T_C |/T_C <= 0.05 are reported. The magnetic data analyzed in the critical region using the Kouvel-Fisher method give the values for the T_C =156.47 +/- 0.06 K and the critical exponents, beta = 0.374 +/- 0.006 (from the temperature dependence of magnetization), and gamma = 1.329 +/- 0.003 (from the temperature dependence of initial susceptibility). The critical isotherm M(T_C, H) gives delta = 4.547 +/- 0.1. Thus the scaling law gamma+beta=delta beta is fulfilled. The critical exponents obey the single scaling-equation of state M(H, epsilon) = epsilon^b f_+/- (H/epsilon^(beta + gamma)) where, f_+ for T > T_C and f_- for T< T_C. The exponent values are very close to those expected for the universality class of 3D Heisenberg ferromagnets with short-range interactions.Comment: 19 pages, including 6 figure

Origin of non-exponential relaxation in a crystalline ionic conductor: a multi-dimensional 109Ag NMR study

The origin of the non-exponential relaxation of silver ions in the crystalline ion conductor Ag7P3S11 is analyzed by comparing appropriate two-time and three-time 109Ag NMR correlation functions. The non-exponentiality is due to a rate distribution, i.e., dynamic heterogeneities, rather than to an intrinsic non-exponentiality. Thus, the data give no evidence for the relevance of correlated back-and-forth jumps on the timescale of the silver relaxation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Dynamics in Colloidal Liquids near a Crossing of Glass- and Gel-Transition Lines

Within the mode-coupling theory for ideal glass-transitions, the mean-squared displacement and the correlation function for density fluctuations are evaluated for a colloidal liquid of particles interacting with a square-well potential for states near the crossing of the line for transitions to a gel with the line for transitions to a glass. It is demonstrated how the dynamics is ruled by the interplay of the mechanisms of arrest due to hard-core repulsion and due to attraction-induced bond formation as well as by a nearby higher-order glass-transition singularity. Application of the universal relaxation laws for the slow dynamics near glass-transition singularities explains the qualitative features of the calculated time dependence of the mean-squared displacement, which are in accord with the findings obtained in molecular-dynamics simulation studies by Zaccarelli et. al [Phys. Rev. E 66, 041402 (2002)]. Correlation functions found by photon-correlation spectroscopy in a micellar system by Mallamace et. al [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5431 2000)] can be interpreted qualitatively as a crossover from gel to glass dynamics.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Research Proposal for an Experiment to Search for the Decay {\mu} -> eee

We propose an experiment (Mu3e) to search for the lepton flavour violating decay mu+ -> e+e-e+. We aim for an ultimate sensitivity of one in 10^16 mu-decays, four orders of magnitude better than previous searches. This sensitivity is made possible by exploiting modern silicon pixel detectors providing high spatial resolution and hodoscopes using scintillating fibres and tiles providing precise timing information at high particle rates.Comment: Research proposal submitted to the Paul Scherrer Institute Research Committee for Particle Physics at the Ring Cyclotron, 104 page

Theoretical Studies of the Solvent Effect on the Stability of the Ascorbic Acid Tautomers

AMI calculations on three conformers of each of the four tautomeric forms of ascorbic acid are reported. According to the results for isolated molecules, tautomer 3 should be lowest in energy, whereas experimentally only tautomer 1 is observed in the crystal as well as in solution. Solvent effects on the relative stability of the various structures are assessed by applying a combined quantum chemical and force field approach. It turned out to be very important to fully optimize both the water environment and the solute, which was achieved iteratively by means of a suitably modified AMI Hamiltonian taking into account the charge polarization due to the solvent. Inclusion of the solvent effects reduces appreciably the energy difference between tautomers 1 and 3, but does not change their energetic ordering. Cl calculations indicate that the AMI method tends to underestimate the bond delocalization effects in the enone substructure of 1 so that correlation effects are important to describe the relative stability of 1 and 3

Ti-Al composite wires with high specific strength

An alternative deformation technique was applied to a composite made of titanium and an aluminium alloy in order to achieve severe plastic deformation. This involves accumulative swaging and bundling. Furthermore, it allows uniform deformation of a composite material while producing a wire which can be further used easily. Detailed analysis concerning the control of the deformation process, mesostructural and microstructural features and tensile testing was carried out on the as produced wires. A strong grain refinement to a grain size of 250–500 nm accompanied by a decrease in h111i fibre texture component and a change from low angle to high angle grain boundary characteristics is observed in the Al alloy. A strong increase in the mechanical properties in terms of ultimate tensile strength ranging from 600 to 930 MPa being equivalent to a specific strength of up to 223 MPa/g/cm3 was achieved