8,316 research outputs found
Development and application of a sensitive, high precision weighing lysimeter for use in greenhouses
A high precision weighing lysimeter for measuring evapotranspiration in greenhouses was developed. The instrument has a measurement of sensitivity of one part in 106, that is one order of magnitude better than any other so far described in the literature. With it, evaporation rates in a greenhouse, even at night, can be measured on a one minute time scale. Development and construction of the instrument are described and measurements of the transpiration of a tomato crop in a greenhouse are used to demonstrate its capabilities
Collision-induced conformational changes in glycine
We present quantum dynamical calculations on the conformational changes of glycine in collisions with the He, Ne, and Ar rare-gas atoms. For two conformer interconversion processes (III-->I and IV-->I), we find that the probability of interconversion is dependent on several factors, including the energy of the collision, the angle at which the colliding atom approaches the glycine molecule, and the strength of the glycine-atom interaction. Furthermore, we show that attractive interactions between the colliding atom and the glycine molecule catalyze conformer interconversion at low collision energies. In previous infrared spectroscopy studies of glycine trapped in rare-gas matrices and helium clusters, conformer III has been consistently observed, but conformer IV has yet to be conclusively detected. Because of the calculated thermodynamic stability of conformer IV, its elusiveness has been attributed to the IV-->I conformer interconversion process. However, our calculations present little indication that IV-->I interconversion occurs more readily than III-->I interconversion. Although we cannot determine whether conformer IV interconverts during experimental Ne- and Ar-matrix depositions, our evidence suggests that the conformer should be present in helium droplets. Anharmonic vibrational frequency calculations illustrate that previous efforts to detect conformer IV may have been hindered by the overlap of its IR-absorption bands with those of other conformers. We propose that the redshifted symmetric –CH2 stretch of conformer IV provides a means for its conclusive experimental detection
Probing molecular dynamics at the nanoscale via an individual paramagnetic center
Understanding the dynamics of molecules adsorbed to surfaces or confined to
small volumes is a matter of increasing scientific and technological
importance. Here, we demonstrate a pulse protocol using individual paramagnetic
nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to observe the time evolution of 1H
spins from organic molecules located a few nanometers from the diamond surface.
The protocol records temporal correlations among the interacting 1H spins, and
thus is sensitive to the local system dynamics via its impact on the nuclear
spin relaxation and interaction with the NV. We are able to gather information
on the nanoscale rotational and translational diffusion dynamics by carefully
analyzing the time dependence of the NMR signal. Applying this technique to
various liquid and solid samples, we find evidence that liquid samples form a
semi-solid layer of 1.5 nm thickness on the surface of diamond, where
translational diffusion is suppressed while rotational diffusion remains
present. Extensions of the present technique could be adapted to highlight the
chemical composition of molecules tethered to the diamond surface or to
investigate thermally or chemically activated dynamical processes such as
molecular folding
Flexible (Polyactive®) versus rigid (hydroxyapatite) dental implants
In a beagle dog study, the peri-implant bone changes around flexible (Polyactive®) and rigid hydroxyapatite (HA) implants were investigated radiographically by quantitative digital subtraction analysis and by assessment of marginal bone height, with the aid of a computerized method. A loss of approximately 1 mm of marginal bone height was observed for both the dense Polyactive and the HA implants, after 6 months of loading. This value appeared to be stable from 12 weeks of loading onward. Along the total length of the implant during the first 6 weeks of loading, both the flexible (dense Polyactive) and the rigid (HA) implants showed a decrease in density. However, after this 6-week period, the bone density around the implants increased, and after 18 weeks the original bone density was reached. The flexible Polyactive implants provoked less decrease in density than the rigid HA implants, although not to a statistically significant level. This finding sustains the hypothesis that flexible implant materials may transfer stresses to the surrounding bone more favorably
Stark shift and field ionization of arsenic donors in Si-SOI structures
We develop an efficient back gate for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices
operating at cryogenic temperatures, and measure the quadratic hyperfine Stark
shift parameter of arsenic donors in isotopically purified Si-SOI layers
using such structures. The back gate is implemented using MeV ion implantation
through the SOI layer forming a metallic electrode in the handle wafer,
enabling large and uniform electric fields up to 2 V/m to be
applied across the SOI layer. Utilizing this structure we measure the Stark
shift parameters of arsenic donors embedded in the Si SOI layer and find
a contact hyperfine Stark parameter of m/V. We also demonstrate electric-field driven dopant ionization in
the SOI device layer, measured by electron spin resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Local structure of liquid carbon controls diamond nucleation
Diamonds melt at temperatures above 4000 K. There are no measurements of the
steady-state rate of the reverse process: diamond nucleation from the melt,
because experiments are difficult at these extreme temperatures and pressures.
Using numerical simulations, we estimate the diamond nucleation rate and find
that it increases by many orders of magnitude when the pressure is increased at
constant supersaturation. The reason is that an increase in pressure changes
the local coordination of carbon atoms from three-fold to four-fold. It turns
out to be much easier to nucleate diamond in a four-fold coordinated liquid
than in a liquid with three-fold coordination, because in the latter case the
free-energy cost to create a diamond-liquid interface is higher. We speculate
that this mechanism for nucleation control is relevant for crystallization in
many network-forming liquids. On the basis of our calculations, we conclude
that homogeneous diamond nucleation is likely in carbon-rich stars and unlikely
in gaseous planets
Direct measurement of the radiative lifetime of vibrationally excited OH radicals
Neutral molecules, isolated in the gas-phase, can be prepared in a long-lived
excited state and stored in a trap. The long observation time afforded by the
trap can then be exploited to measure the radiative lifetime of this state by
monitoring the temporal decay of the population in the trap. This method is
demonstrated here and used to benchmark the Einstein -coefficients in the
Meinel system of OH. A pulsed beam of vibrationally excited OH radicals is
Stark decelerated and loaded into an electrostatic quadrupole trap. The
radiative lifetime of the upper -doublet component of the level is determined as ms, in good
agreement with the calculated value of ms.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Optical properties of an ensemble of G-centers in silicon
We addressed the carrier dynamics in so-called G-centers in silicon
(consisting of substitutional-interstitial carbon pairs interacting with
interstitial silicons) obtained via ion implantation into a
silicon-on-insulator wafer. For this point defect in silicon emitting in the
telecommunication wavelength range, we unravel the recombination dynamics by
time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. More specifically, we performed
detailed photoluminescence experiments as a function of excitation energy,
incident power, irradiation fluence and temperature in order to study the
impact of radiative and non-radiative recombination channels on the spectrum,
yield and lifetime of G-centers. The sharp line emitting at 969 meV (1280
nm) and the broad asymmetric sideband developing at lower energy share the same
recombination dynamics as shown by time-resolved experiments performed
selectively on each spectral component. This feature accounts for the common
origin of the two emission bands which are unambiguously attributed to the
zero-phonon line and to the corresponding phonon sideband. In the framework of
the Huang-Rhys theory with non-perturbative calculations, we reach an
estimation of 1.60.1 \angstrom for the spatial extension of the
electronic wave function in the G-center. The radiative recombination time
measured at low temperature lies in the 6 ns-range. The estimation of both
radiative and non-radiative recombination rates as a function of temperature
further demonstrate a constant radiative lifetime. Finally, although G-centers
are shallow levels in silicon, we find a value of the Debye-Waller factor
comparable to deep levels in wide-bandgap materials. Our results point out the
potential of G-centers as a solid-state light source to be integrated into
opto-electronic devices within a common silicon platform
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