831 research outputs found
Operation Moshtarak and the manufacture of credible, âheroicâ warfare
Richard Lance Keeble argues that Fleet Streetâs coverage of the Afghan conflict has served largely to promote the interests of the military/industrial/media complex â and marginalise the views of the public who have consistently appealed in polls for the troops to be brought back hom
First-Order Reorientation of the Flux-Line Lattice in CaAlSi
The flux line lattice in CaAlSi has been studied by small angle neutron
scattering. A well defined hexagonal flux line lattice is seen just above Hc1
in an applied field of only 54 Oe. A 30 degree reorientation of this vortex
lattice has been observed in a very low field of 200 Oe. This reorientation
transition appears to be of first-order and could be explained by non-local
effects. The magnetic field dependence of the form factor is well described by
a single penetration depth of 1496(1) angstroms and a single coherence length
of 307(1) angstroms at 2 K. At 1.5 K the penetration depth anisotropy is 2.7(1)
with the field applied perpendicular to the c axis and agrees with the
coherence length anisotropy determined from critical field measurements.Comment: 5 pages including 6 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter
Relationship between the structure and optical properties of lithium tantalate at the zero-birefringence point
The structure of lithium tantalate powders has been investigated using neutron diffraction between room temperature and 445âK, which includes the zero-birefringence point. As the temperature increases, the displacement of the Ta atom from the centre of the O octahedra and the tilt of the octahedra both decrease linearly in the range investigated. The measured structures form the basis of a range of density functional theory calculations utilizing the WIEN2âk code, with a focus on calculating the optical properties. These calculations are sensitive to the small structural changes measured in this temperature range; the calculated birefringence changes are consistent with the changes measured experimentally. Further, by investigating the effect of each atom in isolation, it can be shown that the birefringence of lithium tantalate mainly depends on the Ta displacement and the octahedral tilt, with the linear change in these as a function of temperature producing the change in birefringence with temperature, which results in it becoming zero-birefringent. This work demonstrates the unique material insights that can be obtained by combining density functional calculations with precise structural studies
Structural templating in a nonplanar phthalocyanine using single crystal copper iodide
Solution-grown copper iodide crystals are used as substrates for the templated growth of the nonplanar vanadyl phthalocyanine using organic molecular beam deposition. Structural characterization reveals a single molecular orientation produced by the (111) Miller plane of the copper iodide crystals. These fundamental measurements show the importance of morphology and structure in templating interactions for organic electronics applications
Circulation anomalies in the Southern Hemisphere and ozone changes
We report results from two pairs of chemistryclimate model simulations using the same climate model but different chemical perturbations. In each pair of experiments an ozone change was triggered by a simple change in the chemistry. One pair of model experiments looked at the impact of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) and the other pair at the impact of short-lived halogenated species on composition and circulation. The model response is complex with both positive and negative changes in ozone concentration, depending on location. These changes result from coupling between composition, temperature and circulation. Even though the causes of the modelled ozone changes are different, the high latitude Southern Hemisphere response in the lower stratosphere is similar. In both pairs of experiments the high-latitude circulation changes, as evidenced by N2O differences, are suggesting a slightly longer-lasting/stronger stratospheric descent in runs with higher ozone destruction (a manifestation of a seasonal shift in the circulation). We contrast the idealised model behaviour with interannual variability in ozone and N2O as observed by the MIPAS instrument on ENVISAT, highlighting similarities of the modelled climate equilibrium changes to the year 2006â2007 in observations. We conclude that the climate system can respond quite sensitively in its seasonal evolution to small chemical perturbations, that circulation adjustments seen in the model can occur in reality, and that coupled chemistry-climate models allow a better assessment of future ozone and climate change than recent CMIP-type models with prescribed ozone fields
Employment mobility in high-technology agglomerations: the cases of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire
This paper examines labour market behaviour of the highly skilled in high-tech local economies, taking the UK examples of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire as case studies. It reports on data from a survey of members of three scientific institutes to compare rates of employee mobility in the two locations and considers the likely explanations and implications of those patterns
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Intra- and interchain interactions in (Cu1/2ÂŹAu1/2)CN, (Ag1/2ÂŹAu1/2)CN, and (Cu1/3Ag1/3Au1/3)CN and their effect on one-, two- and three-dimensional order
Mixed-metal cyanides, (Cu1/2Au1/2)CN, (Ag1/2Au1/2)CN and (Cu1/3Ag1/3Au1/3)CN, adopt an AuCN-type structure in which metal-cyanide chains pack on a hexagonal lattice with metal atoms arranged in sheets. The interactions between and within the metal-cyanide chains are investigated using density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations, 13C solid-state NMR (SSNMR) and X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) measurements. Long-range metal and cyanide order is found within the chains: (âCuâNCâAuâCNâ)â, (âAgâNCâAuâCNâ)â and (âCuâNCâAgâNCâAuâCNâ)â. Although Bragg diffraction studies establish that there is no long-range order between chains, X-ray PDF results show that there is local order between chains. In (Cu1/2Au1/2)CN and (Ag1/2Au1/2)CN, there is a preference for unlike metal atoms occurring as nearest neighbours within the metal sheets. A general mathematical proof shows that the maximum average number of heterometallic nearest-neighbour interactions on a hexagonal lattice with two types of metal atom is four. Calculated energies of periodic structural models show that those with four unlike nearest neighbours are most favourable. Of these, models in space group Immm give the best fits to the X-ray PDF data out to 8 Ă
, providing good descriptions of the short- and medium-range structures. This result shows that interactions beyond those of nearest neighbours must be considered when determining the structures of these materials. Such interactions are also important in (Cu1/3Ag1/3Au1/3)CN, leading to the adoption of a structure in Pmm2 containing mixed Cu-Au and silver-only sheets arranged to maximise the numbers of CuËËËAu nearest- and next-nearest-neighbour interactions
1 m long multilayer-coated deformable piezoelectric bimorph mirror for adjustable focusing of high-energy X-rays
The Diamond Light Source (DLS) beamline I15-1 measures atomic pair distribution functions (PDF) using scattering of 40-80 keV X-rays. A unique focusing element was needed to condense these X-rays from an initial large cross section (11.0 mm H Ă 4.2 mm V) into a required spot size of FWHM â680 ÎŒm (H) Ă 20 ÎŒm (V) at a variable position between the sample and the detector. The large numerical aperture is achieved by coating a silicon substrate over 1 m long with three multilayer stripes of Bragg angle 4.2 mrad. One stripe selects X-rays of each energy 40.0, 65.4, and 76.6 keV. Sixteen piezoelectric bimorph actuators attached to the sides of the mirror substrate adjusted the reflecting surfaceâs shape. Focal spots of vertical width < 15 ÎŒm were obtained at three positions over a 0.92 m range, with fast, easy switching from one focal position to another. Minimized root mean square slope errors were close to 0.5 ÎŒrad after subtraction of a uniform curvature. Reflectivity curves taken along each stripe showed consistent high peaks with generally small angular variation of peak positions. This is the first application of a 1 m long multilayercoated bimorph mirror at a synchrotron beamline. Data collected with its help on a slice of a lithium ion batteryâs cathode are presented
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