1,651 research outputs found
A disintegrating cosmic string
We present a simple sandwich gravitational wave of the Robinson-Trautman
family. This is interpreted as representing a shock wave with a spherical
wavefront which propagates into a Minkowski background minus a wedge. (i.e. the
background contains a cosmic string.) The deficit angle (the tension) of the
string decreases through the gravitational wave, which then ceases. This leaves
an expanding spherical region of Minkowski space behind it. The decay of the
cosmic string over a finite interval of retarded time may be considered to
generate the gravitational wave.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra
RAFT dispersion polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate for the synthesis of epoxy-functional block copolymer nanoparticles in mineral oil
Epoxy-functional poly(stearyl methacrylate)-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PSMA-PGlyMA) diblock copolymer nanoparticles are synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GlyMA) in mineral oil at 70 °C. This efficient polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) formulation yields well-defined spheres of tunable diameter as confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. 1H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) studies indicate that such non-polar dispersions exhibit greater stability during their long-term storage at 20 °C compared to related epoxy-functional nanoparticles prepared via RAFT aqueous emulsion polymerization. Model epoxy-amine ring-opening reactions using N-methylaniline demonstrate the potential for post-polymerization functionalization of such spherical nanoparticles
Syntheses and Properties of Salts of Chromophores with Ferrocenyl Electron Donor Groups and Quaternary Nitrogen Acceptors
A series of five new dipolar cations has been synthesized with ferrocenyl (Fc) electron donor groups connected to N-arylpyridinium, N-methylquinolinium, N-methylbenzothiazolium, or N-methylacridinium acceptors. Together with their known N-methylpyridinium analogue, these chromophores have been characterized as their PF_6^− salts by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Nine single-crystal X-ray structures have been determined, including two polymorphs of one salt obtained from a single crystallization experiment, and two of these are polar materials. A highly favorable degree of dipolar alignment for bulk NLO effects is observed in one case. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses have been determined by using femtosecond hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) at 1300 nm and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense π → π^* intraligand and d → π^* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands. A broad correlation between the electron acceptor strength and the HRS-derived first hyperpolarizabilities β and the static first hyperpolarizabilities β0 estimated from the Stark data is evident. This is the first time that meaningful (albeit indirectly determined) β_0 data have been reported for Fc compounds, allowing quantitative comparisons with the chromophore in the technologically important material (E)-4′-(dimethylamino)-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium (DAS) tosylate. The observed β_0 values are in several cases similar to that of [DAS]PF_6, and possibly even larger in one instance
Partially Observable Concurrent Kleene Algebra
We introduce partially observable concurrent Kleene algebra (POCKA), an algebraic framework to reason about concurrent programs with variables as well as control structures, such as conditionals and loops, that depend on those variables. We illustrate the use of POCKA through concrete examples. We prove that POCKA is a sound and complete axiomatisation of a model of partial observations, and show the semantics passes an important check for sequential consistency
Borane-Catalysed Hydroboration of Alkynes and Alkenes
Simple, commercially available borane adducts, H 3 B·THF and H 3 B·SMe 2, have been used to catalyse the hydroboration of alkynes and alkenes with pinacolborane to give the alkenyl and alkyl boronic esters, respectively. Alkynes and terminal alkenes underwent highly regioselective hydroboration to give the linear boronic ester products. Good functional group tolerance was observed for substrates bearing ester, amine, ether and halide substituents. This catalytic process shows comparable reactivity to transition-metal-catalysed hydroboration protocols
An interpretation of Robinson-Trautman type N solutions
The Robinson-Trautman type N solutions, which describe expanding
gravitational waves, are investigated for all possible values of the
cosmological constant Lambda and the curvature parameter epsilon. The wave
surfaces are always (hemi-)spherical, with successive surfaces displaced in a
way which depends on epsilon. Explicit sandwich waves of this class are studied
in Minkowski, de Sitter or anti-de Sitter backgrounds. A particular family of
such solutions which can be used to represent snapping or decaying cosmic
strings is considered in detail, and its singularity and global structure is
presented.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Partially Observable Concurrent Kleene Algebra
We introduce partially observable concurrent Kleene algebra (POCKA), an algebraic framework to reason about concurrent programs with variables as well as control structures, such as conditionals and loops, that depend on those variables. We illustrate the use of POCKA through concrete examples. We prove that POCKA is a sound and complete axiomatisation of a model of partial observations, and show the semantics passes an important check for sequential consistency
An Information Theoretic perspective on perceptual structure: cross-accent vowel perception
Analytical tools from Information Theory were used
to quantify behaviour in cross-accent vowel
perception by Australian, London, New Zealand,
Yorkshire and Newcastle UK listeners. Results show
that Australian listeners impose expected patterns of
perceptual similarity from their own accent
experience on unfamiliar accents, regardless of the
actual phonetic distance between accents
Generalised Kundt waves and their physical interpretation
We present the complete family of space-times with a non-expanding,
shear-free, twist-free, geodesic principal null congruence (Kundt waves) that
are of algebraic type III and for which the cosmological constant ()
is non-zero. The possible presence of an aligned pure radiation field is also
assumed. These space-times generalise the known vacuum solutions of type N with
arbitrary and type III with . It is shown that there
are two, one and three distinct classes of solutions when is
respectively zero, positive and negative. The wave surfaces are plane,
spherical or hyperboloidal in Minkowski, de Sitter or anti-de Sitter
backgrounds respectively, and the structure of the family of wave surfaces in
the background space-time is described. The weak singularities which occur in
these space-times are interpreted in terms of envelopes of the wave surfaces.Comment: 16 pages including 2 figures. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gra
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