611 research outputs found
Solubility of precursors and carbonation of waterglass-free geopolymers
Geopolymers have the potential to function as an environmentally friendly substitute for ordinary Portland cement, with up to 80% less CO emission during production. The effect is best utilized for geopolymers prepared with amorphous silica instead of waterglass (NaSiO) to adjust the Si:Al ratio. The reactivity of the precursors with the alkaline activator affects the final mineralogical properties of the binder. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the amount of different phases formed during geopolymerization and to understand the quantitative evolution of carbonation during geopolymer synthesis by determining the solubility of metakaolinite and amorphous SiO in NaOH at various concentrations. The solubility was studied by ICP-OES measurements. X-ray diffraction was used for qualitative and quantitative phase analysis of the geopolymers. The solubility of the precursors increased with calcination temperature of metakaolinite, reaction time for amorphous SiO, and at higher NaOH concentrations. Partial dissolution resulted in free Na, which is a source for the formation of carbonates in the geopolymers. Thermonatrite occurred prior to trona formation in all samples
A Quantum Broadcasting Problem in Classical Low Power Signal Processing
We pose a problem called ``broadcasting Holevo-information'': given an
unknown state taken from an ensemble, the task is to generate a bipartite state
transfering as much Holevo-information to each copy as possible.
We argue that upper bounds on the average information over both copies imply
lower bounds on the quantum capacity required to send the ensemble without
information loss. This is because a channel with zero quantum capacity has a
unitary extension transfering at least as much information to its environment
as it transfers to the output.
For an ensemble being the time orbit of a pure state under a Hamiltonian
evolution, we derive such a bound on the required quantum capacity in terms of
properties of the input and output energy distribution. Moreover, we discuss
relations between the broadcasting problem and entropy power inequalities.
The broadcasting problem arises when a signal should be transmitted by a
time-invariant device such that the outgoing signal has the same timing
information as the incoming signal had. Based on previous results we argue that
this establishes a link between quantum information theory and the theory of
low power computing because the loss of timing information implies loss of free
energy.Comment: 28 pages, late
Intermediate phase, network demixing, boson and floppy modes, and compositional trends in glass transition temperatures of binary AsxS1-x system
The structure of binary As_xS_{1-x} glasses is elucidated using
modulated-DSC, Raman scattering, IR reflectance and molar volume experiments
over a wide range (8%<x<41%) of compositions. We observe a reversibility window
in the calorimetric experiments, which permits fixing the three elastic phases;
flexible at x<22.5%, intermediate phase (IP) in the 22.5%<x<29.5% range, and
stressed-rigid at x>29.5%. Raman scattering supported by first principles
cluster calculations reveal existence of both pyramidal (PYR, As(S1/2)3) and
quasi-tetrahedral(QT, S=As(S1/2)3) local structures. The QT unit concentrations
show a global maximum in the IP, while the concentration of PYR units becomes
comparable to those of QT units in the phase, suggesting that both these local
structures contribute to the width of the IP. The IP centroid in the sulfides
is significantly shifted to lower As content x than in corresponding selenides,
a feature identified with excess chalcogen partially segregating from the
backbone in the sulfides, but forming part of the backbone in selenides. These
ideas are corroborated by the proportionately larger free volumes of sulfides
than selenides, and the absence of chemical bond strength scaling of Tgs
between As-sulfides and As-selenides. Low-frequency Raman modes increase in
scattering strength linearly as As content x of glasses decreases from x = 20%
to 8%, with a slope that is close to the floppy mode fraction in flexible
glasses predicted by rigidity theory. These results show that floppy modes
contribute to the excess vibrations observed at low frequency. In the
intermediate and stressed rigid elastic phases low-frequency Raman modes
persist and are identified as boson modes. Some consequences of the present
findings on the optoelectronic properties of these glasses is commented upon.Comment: Accepted for PR
Existence of superposition solutions for pulse propagation in nonlinear resonant media
Existence of self-similar, superposed pulse-train solutions of the nonlinear,
coupled Maxwell-Schr\"odinger equations, with the frequencies controlled by the
oscillator strengths of the transitions, is established. Some of these
excitations are specific to the resonant media, with energy levels in the
configurations of and and arise because of the interference
effects of cnoidal waves, as evidenced from some recently discovered identities
involving the Jacobian elliptic functions. Interestingly, these excitations
also admit a dual interpretation as single pulse-trains, with widely different
amplitudes, which can lead to substantially different field intensities and
population densities in different atomic levels.Comment: 11 Pages, 6 Figures, presentation changed and 3 figures adde
Two-soliton solution for the derivative nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation with nonvanishing boundary conditions
An explicit two-soliton solution for the derivative nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation with nonvanishing boundary conditions is derived, demonstrating
details of interactions between two bright solitons, two dark solitons, as well
as one bright soliton and one dark soliton. Shifts of soliton positions due to
collisions are analytically obtained, which are irrespective of the bright or
dark characters of the participating solitons.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Phys. Lett. A 2006 (in press
ZnO@ZIF-8: Gas sensitive core-shell hetero-structures show reduced cross-sensitivity to humidity
A ‘lawn-like’ distribution of interconnected zinc oxide nanorods, coated with a metal-organic compound based on zeolitic imidazolate frameworks – ZIF-8 was prepared on microstructured thin-film interdigitated Pt-electrodes forming ZnO@ZIF-8 core-shell heterostructures and investigated as gas sensor material in relation to the identical, but uncovered pure ZnO-layer. This composite combines the gas sensing properties of the metal oxide ZnO with the specific properties of the metal-organic framework material which result in a distinct change of the conditions of gas sensing at the ZnO/ZIF-8-interface. Herein, for the first time it is reported that as prepared ZnO@ZIF-8 composite material is an attractive choice to reduce the cross-sensitivity to water vapour (humidity) in the gas sensing response towards propene and ethene. The observed change of sensitivity in relation to uncovered ZnO is discussed to be due to (i) the specific interaction of the ZIF-8 at the interface with the ZnO taking influence on the gas reaction processes, (ii) the diffusivity of ZIF-8 for the different gas components, and (iii) the sorption behaviour of the used gases at the ZnO interface and inside the ZIF-8 material
Conserved Quantities in Gravity via Noether Symmetry
This paper is devoted to investigate gravity using Noether symmetry
approach. For this purpose, we consider Friedmann Robertson-Walker (FRW)
universe and spherically symmetric spacetimes. The Noether symmetry generators
are evaluated for some specific choice of models in the presence of
gauge term. Further, we calculate the corresponding conserved quantities in
each case. Moreover, the importance and stability criteria of these models are
discussed.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in Chin. Phys. Let
Theory of Pump Depletion and Spike Formation in Stimulated Raman Scattering
By using the inverse spectral transform, the SRS equations are solved and the
explicit output data is given for arbitrary laser pump and Stokes seed profiles
injected on a vacuum of optical phonons. For long duration laser pulses, this
solution is modified such as to take into account the damping rate of the
optical phonon wave. This model is used to interprete the experiments of Druhl,
Wenzel and Carlsten (Phys. Rev. Lett., (1983) vol. 51, p. 1171), in particular
the creation of a spike of (anomalous) pump radiation. The related nonlinear
Fourier spectrum does not contain discrete eigenvalue, hence this Raman spike
is not a soliton.Comment: LaTex file, includes two figures in LaTex format, 9 page
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