An experimental and analytical investigation of proprotor whirl flutter

The results of an experimental parametric investigation of whirl flutter are presented for a model consisting of a windmilling propeller-rotor, or proprotor, having blades with offset flapping hinges mounted on a rigid pylon with flexibility in pitch and yaw. The investigation was motivated by the need to establish a large data base from which to assess the predictability of whirl flutter for a proprotor since some question has been raised as to whether flutter in the forward whirl mode could be predicted with confidence. To provide the necessary data base, the parametric study included variation in the pylon pitch and yaw stiffnesses, flapping hinge offset, and blade kinematic pitch-flap coupling over a large range of advance ratios. Cases of forward whirl flutter and of backward whirl flutter are documented. Measured whirl flutter characteristics were shown to be in good agreement with predictions from two different linear stability analyses which employed simple, two dimensional, quasi-steady aerodynamics for the blade loading. On the basis of these results, it appears that proprotor whirl flutter, both forward and backward, can be predicted

Edge Electron Gas

The uniform electron gas, the traditional starting point for density-based many-body theories of inhomogeneous systems, is inappropriate near electronic edges. In its place we put forward the appropriate concept of the edge electron gas.Comment: 4 pages RevTex with 7 ps-figures included. Minor changes in title,text and figure

Spectrometer for Hard X-Ray Free Electron Laser Based on Diffraction Focusing

X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) generate sequences of ultra-short, spatially coherent pulses of x-ray radiation. We propose the diffraction focusing spectrometer (DFS), which is able to measure the whole energy spectrum of the radiation of a single XFEL pulse with an energy resolution of $\Delta E/E\approx 2\times 10^{-6}$. This is much better than for most modern x-ray spectrometers. Such resolution allows one to resolve the fine spectral structure of the XFEL pulse. The effect of diffraction focusing occurs in a single crystal plate due to dynamical scattering, and is similar to focusing in a Pendry lens made from the metamaterial with a negative refraction index. Such a spectrometer is easier to operate than those based on bent crystals. We show that the DFS can be used in a wide energy range from 5 keV to 20 keV.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 2 table

Nonuniqueness and derivative discontinuities in density-functional theories for current-carrying and superconducting systems

Current-carrying and superconducting systems can be treated within density-functional theory if suitable additional density variables (the current density and the superconducting order parameter, respectively) are included in the density-functional formalism. Here we show that the corresponding conjugate potentials (vector and pair potentials, respectively) are {\it not} uniquely determined by the densities. The Hohenberg-Kohn theorem of these generalized density-functional theories is thus weaker than the original one. We give explicit examples and explore some consequences.Comment: revised version (typos corrected, some discussion added) to appear in Phys. Rev.

The ring-opening polymerization of D,L-lactide in the melt initiated with tetraphenyltin

Melt polymerization conditions for D,L-lactide initiated with tetraphenyltin were studied with regard to polymer molecular weight and weight distributions. "Single" polymerization, "multiple"polymerization (four or eight reactions at the same time), and time-dependent studies are described. Single polymerizations using constant initiator concentrations resulted in a broad scattering of nonreproducible molecular weight values. Multiple polymerizations at constant initiator concentrations, however, resulted in nearly identical molecular weight profiles. Multiple polymerizations at different initiator concentrations did not show an inverse dependency of initiator concentration on polymer molecular weight. Both the single and multiple melt polymerizations resulted in rather broad molecular weight distributions. The presence of hydrolysis products of lactide during the melt polymerization most likely has a detrimental effect on molecular weight. After a short induction period the rather slow polymerization of D,L-lactide resulted in a maximal molecular weight followed by a slight decrease in molecular weight to a constant value. It is concluded that the polymerization of D,L-lactide in the melt initiated with tetraphenyltin does not proceed through a "living" mechanism

The Band-Gap Problem in Semiconductors Revisited: Effects of Core States and Many-Body Self-Consistency

A novel picture of the quasiparticle (QP) gap in prototype semiconductors Si and Ge emerges from an analysis based on all-electron, self-consistent, GW calculations. The deep-core electrons are shown to play a key role via the exchange diagram --if this effect is neglected, Si becomes a semimetal. Contrary to current lore, the Ge 3d semicore states (e.g., their polarization) have no impact on the GW gap. Self-consistency improves the calculated gaps --a first clear-cut success story for the Baym-Kadanoff method in the study of real-materials spectroscopy; it also has a significant impact on the QP lifetimes. Our results embody a new paradigm for ab initio QP theory

Total energy global optimizations using non orthogonal localized orbitals

An energy functional for orbital based $O(N)$ calculations is proposed, which depends on a number of non orthogonal, localized orbitals larger than the number of occupied states in the system, and on a parameter, the electronic chemical potential, determining the number of electrons. We show that the minimization of the functional with respect to overlapping localized orbitals can be performed so as to attain directly the ground state energy, without being trapped at local minima. The present approach overcomes the multiple minima problem present within the original formulation of orbital based $O(N)$ methods; it therefore makes it possible to perform $O(N)$ calculations for an arbitrary system, without including any information about the system bonding properties in the construction of the input wavefunctions. Furthermore, while retaining the same computational cost as the original approach, our formulation allows one to improve the variational estimate of the ground state energy, and the energy conservation during a molecular dynamics run. Several numerical examples for surfaces, bulk systems and clusters are presented and discussed.Comment: 24 pages, RevTex file, 5 figures available upon reques