308 research outputs found
Molecular Probing of the Stress Activation Volume in Vapor Phase Lubricated Friction
When two solid objects slide over each other, friction results from the interactions between the asperities of the (invariably rough) surfaces. Lubrication happens when viscous lubricants separate the two surfaces and carry the load such that solid-on-solid contacts are avoided. Yet, even small amounts of low-viscosity lubricants can still significantly lower friction through a process called boundary lubrication. Understanding the origin of the boundary lubricating effect is hampered by challenges in measuring the interfacial properties of lubricants directly between the two surfaces. Here, we use rigidochromic fluorescent probe molecules to measure precisely what happens on a molecular scale during vapor-phase boundary lubrication of a polymer bead-on-glass interface. The probe molecules have a longer fluorescence lifetime in a confined environment, which allows one to measure the area of real contact between rough surfaces and infer the shear stress at the lubricated interfaces. The latter is shown to be proportional to the inverse of the local interfacial free volume determined using the measured fluorescence lifetime. The free volume can then be used in an Eyring-type model as the stress activation volume, allowing to collapse the data of stress as a function of sliding velocity and partial pressure of the vapor phase lubricant. This shows directly that as more boundary lubricant is applied, larger clusters of lubricant molecules become involved in the shear process thereby lowering the friction.</p
Local Shearing Force Measurement during Frictional Sliding Using Fluorogenic Mechanophores
[Image: see text] When two macroscopic objects touch, the real contact typically consists of multiple surface asperities that are deformed under the pressure that holds the objects together. Application of a shear force makes the objects slide along each other, breaking the initial contacts. To investigate how the microscopic shear force at the asperity level evolves during the transition from static to dynamic friction, we apply a fluorogenic mechanophore to visualize and quantify the local interfacial shear force. When a contact is broken, the shear force is released and the molecules return to their dark state, allowing us to dynamically observe the evolution of the shear force at the sliding contacts. We find that the macroscopic coefficient of friction describes the microscopic friction well, and that slip propagates from the edge toward the center of the macroscopic contact area before sliding occurs. This allows for a local understanding of how surfaces start to slide
Temperature-Dependent Anomalies in the Structure of the (001) Surface of LiCu2O2
Surface corrugation functions, derived from elastic helium atom scattering
(HAS) diffraction patterns at different temperatures, reveal that the Cu2+ rows
in the (001) surface of LiCu2O2 undergo an outward displacement of about 0.15
{\AA} as the surface was cooled down to 140 K. This is probably the first time
that isolated one-dimensional magnetic ion arrays were realized, which
qualifies the Li1+Cu2+O2-2 surface as a candidate to study one-dimensional
magnetism. The rising Cu2+ rows induce a surface incommensurate structural
transition along the a-direction. Surface equilibrium analysis showed that the
surface Cu2+ ions at bulk-like positions experience a net outward force along
the surface normal which is relieved by the displacement. Temperature-dependent
changes of the surface phonon dispersions obtained with the aid of inelastic
HAS measurements combined with surface lattice dynamical calculations are also
reported.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure
Quantitative evaluation of motor function before and after engraftment of dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease
Although gait change is considered a useful indicator of severity in animal models of Parkinson's disease, systematic and extensive gait analysis in animal models of neurological deficits is not well established. The CatWalk-assisted automated gait analysis system provides a comprehensive way to assess a number of dynamic and static gait parameters simultaneously. In this study, we used the Catwalk system to investigate changes in gait parameters in adult rats with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions and the rescue effect of dopaminergic neuron transplantation on gait function. Four weeks after 6-OHDA injection, the intensity and maximal area of contact were significantly decreased in the affected paws and the swing speed significantly decreased in all four paws. The relative distance between the hind paws also increased, suggesting that animals with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions required all four paws to compensate for loss of balance function. At 8 weeks post-transplantation, engrafted dopaminergic neurons expressed tyrosine hydroxylase. In addition, the intensity, contact area, and swing speed of the four limbs increased and the distance between the hind paws decreased. Partial recovery of methamphetamine-induced rotational response was also noted
Network patterns and strength of orbital currents in layered cuprates
In a frame of the model we derive the microscopical expression for
the circulating orbital currents in layered cuprates using the anomalous
correlation functions. In agreement with -on spin relaxation (SR),
nuclear quadrupolar resonance (NQR) and inelastic neutron scattering(INS)
experiments in YBaCuO we successfully explain the order of
magnitude and the monotonous increase of the {\it internal} magnetic fields
resulting from these currents upon cooling. However, the jump in the intensity
of the magnetic fields at T reported recently seems to indicate a
non-mean-field feature in the coexistence of current and superconducting states
and the deviation of the extended charge density wave vector instability from
its commensurate value {\bf Q}) in accordance with the
reported topology of the Fermi surface
Striped antiferromagnetic order and electronic properties of stoichiometric LiFeAs from first-principles calculations
We investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of
stoichiometric LiFeAs by using state-of-the-arts first-principles method. We
find the magnetic ground-state by comparing the total energies among all the
possible magnetic orders. Our calculated internal positions of Li and As are in
good agreement with experiment. Our results show that stoichiometric LiFeAs has
almost the same striped antiferromagnetic spin order as other FeAs-based parent
compounds and tetragonal FeSe do, and the experimental fact that no magnetic
phase transition has been observed at finite temperature is attributed to the
tiny inter-layer spin coupling
Racetrack Inflation
We develop a model of eternal topological inflation using a racetrack
potential within the context of type IIB string theory with KKLT volume
stabilization. The inflaton field is the imaginary part of the K\"ahler
structure modulus, which is an axion-like field in the 4D effective field
theory. This model does not require moving branes, and in this sense it is
simpler than other models of string theory inflation. Contrary to
single-exponential models, the structure of the potential in this example
allows for the existence of saddle points between two degenerate local minima
for which the slow-roll conditions can be satisfied in a particular range of
parameter space. We conjecture that this type of inflation should be present in
more general realizations of the modular landscape. We also consider
`irrational' models having a dense set of minima, and discuss their possible
relevance for the cosmological constant problem.Comment: 23 pages 7 figures. The final version with minor modifications, to
appear in JHE
Hidden Order in the Cuprates
We propose that the enigmatic pseudogap phase of cuprate superconductors is
characterized by a hidden broken symmetry of d(x^2-y^2)-type. The transition to
this state is rounded by disorder, but in the limit that the disorder is made
sufficiently small, the pseudogap crossover should reveal itself to be such a
transition. The ordered state breaks time-reversal, translational, and
rotational symmetries, but it is invariant under the combination of any two. We
discuss these ideas in the context of ten specific experimental properties of
the cuprates, and make several predictions, including the existence of an
as-yet undetected metal-metal transition under the superconducting dome.Comment: 12 pages of RevTeX, 9 eps figure
A probabilistic method for the operation of three-phase unbalanced active distribution networks
YesThis paper proposes a probabilistic multi-objective optimization method for the operation of three-phase distribution networks incorporating active network management (ANM) schemes including coordinated voltage control and adaptive power factor control. The proposed probabilistic method incorporates detailed modelling of three-phase distribution network components and considers different operational objectives. The method simultaneously minimizes the total energy losses of the lines from the point of view of distribution network operators (DNOs) and maximizes the energy generated by photovoltaic (PV) cells considering ANM schemes and network constraints. Uncertainties related to intermittent generation of PVs and load demands are modelled by probability density functions (PDFs). Monte Carlo simulation method is employed to use the generated PDFs. The problem is solved using ɛ-constraint approach and fuzzy satisfying method is used to select the best solution from the Pareto optimal set. The effectiveness of the proposed probabilistic method is demonstrated with IEEE 13- and 34- bus test feeders
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