1,458 research outputs found
Broadband dielectric spectroscopy on benzophenone: alpha relaxation, beta relaxation, and mode coupling theory
We have performed a detailed dielectric investigation of the relaxational
dynamics of glass-forming benzophenone. Our measurements cover a broad
frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 120 GHz and temperatures from far below the glass
temperature well up into the region of the small-viscosity liquid. With respect
to the alpha relaxation this material can be characterized as a typical
molecular glass former with rather high fragility. A good agreement of the
alpha relaxation behavior with the predictions of the mode coupling theory of
the glass transition is stated. In addition, at temperatures below and in the
vicinity of Tg we detect a well-pronounced beta relaxation of Johari-Goldstein
type, which with increasing temperature develops into an excess wing. We
compare our results to literature data from optical Kerr effect and depolarized
light scattering experiments, where an excess-wing like feature was observed in
the 1 - 100 GHz region. We address the question if the Cole-Cole peak, which
was invoked to describe the optical Kerr effect data within the framework of
the mode coupling theory, has any relation to the canonical beta relaxation
detected by dielectric spectroscopy.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures; revised version with new Fig. 5 and some smaller
changes according to referees' demand
Correlation between ion hopping conductivity and near constant loss in ionic conductors
Correlation between the activation enthalpy and Kohlrausch exponent for ionic conductivity in oxide glasses
Viscoelastic behaviour of polymethyl methacrylate networks with different crosslinking degrees
The influence of the cross-linking degree on the dynamics of the segmental motions close
to the glass transition of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, networks was investigated by three different
mechanical spectroscopy techniques: thermally stimulated recovery (TSR), dynamic mechanical analysis
(DMA), and creep. The application of the time-temperature superposition principle to isothermal DMA
and creep results permitted to successfully construct master curves for PMMA networks with distinct
cross-linking degrees. The former results were fitted to the KWW equation. The obtained variation of
âKWW for the distinct networks indicated that the relaxation curves tend to broaden as the cross-linking
degree increases. TSR results clearly revealed a significant shift of the R-relaxation to longer times and
a broader relaxation as the cross-linking degree increases, what was also observed by DMA and creep. A
change from a Vogel to an Arrhenius behavior was detected by the three techniques with the decrease of
temperature below Tg. The temperature dependence of the apparent activation energies (Ea) was calculated
from DMA, creep, and TSR experiments; above Tg a good agreement was seen between the Ea values for
all the techniques. Furthermore, the effect of the cross-linking degree on the fragility of PMMA networks
was evaluated. For these materials an increase of fragility with increasing cross-linking degree was
observed
Non exponential relaxation in fully frustrated models
We study the dynamical properties of the fully frustrated Ising model. Due to
the absence of disorder the model, contrary to spin glass, does not exhibit any
Griffiths phase, which has been associated to non-exponential relaxation
dynamics. Nevertheless we find numerically that the model exhibits a stretched
exponential behavior below a temperature T_p corresponding to the percolation
transition of the Kasteleyn-Fortuin clusters. We have also found that the
critical behavior of this clusters for a fully frustrated q-state spin model at
the percolation threshold is strongly affected by frustration. In fact while in
absence of frustration the q=1 limit gives random percolation, in presence of
frustration the critical behavior is in the same universality class of the
ferromagnetic q=1/2-state Potts model.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, 11 figs, to appear on Physical Review
Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy on Glass-Forming Propylene Carbonate
Dielectric spectroscopy covering more than 18 decades of frequency has been
performed on propylene carbonate in its liquid and supercooled-liquid state.
Using quasi-optic submillimeter and far-infrared spectroscopy the dielectric
response was investigated up to frequencies well into the microscopic regime.
We discuss the alpha-process whose characteristic timescale is observed over 14
decades of frequency and the excess wing showing up at frequencies some three
decades above the peak frequency. Special attention is given to the
high-frequency response of the dielectric loss in the crossover regime between
alpha-peak and boson-peak. Similar to our previous results in other glass
forming materials we find evidence for additional processes in the crossover
regime. However, significant differences concerning the spectral form at high
frequencies are found. We compare our results to the susceptibilities obtained
from light scattering and to the predictions of various models of the glass
transition.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Measurement of Cosmic-ray Muons and Muon-induced Neutrons in the Aberdeen Tunnel Underground Laboratory
We have measured the muon flux and production rate of muon-induced neutrons
at a depth of 611 m water equivalent. Our apparatus comprises three layers of
crossed plastic scintillator hodoscopes for tracking the incident cosmic-ray
muons and 760 L of gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator for producing and
detecting neutrons. The vertical muon intensity was measured to be cmssr. The yield of
muon-induced neutrons in the liquid scintillator was determined to be
neutrons/(gcm). A fit to the recently measured neutron
yields at different depths gave a mean muon energy dependence of for liquid-scintillator targets.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figures, 3 table
Evidence of coexistence of change of caged dynamics at Tg and the dynamic transition at Td in solvated proteins
Mossbauer spectroscopy and neutron scattering measurements on proteins
embedded in solvents including water and aqueous mixtures have emphasized the
observation of the distinctive temperature dependence of the atomic mean square
displacements, , commonly referred to as the dynamic transition at some
temperature Td. At low temperatures, increases slowly, but it assume
stronger temperature dependence after crossing Td, which depends on the
time/frequency resolution of the spectrometer. Various authors have made
connection of the dynamics of solvated proteins including the dynamic
transition to that of glass-forming substances. Notwithstanding, no connection
is made to the similar change of temperature dependence of obtained by
quasielastic neutron scattering when crossing the glass transition temperature
Tg, generally observed in inorganic, organic and polymeric glass-formers.
Evidences are presented to show that such change of the temperature dependence
of from neutron scattering at Tg is present in hydrated or solvated
proteins, as well as in the solvents used unsurprisingly since the latter is
just another organic glass-formers. The obtained by neutron scattering at
not so low temperatures has contributions from the dissipation of molecules
while caged by the anharmonic intermolecular potential at times before
dissolution of cages by the onset of the Johari-Goldstein beta-relaxation. The
universal change of at Tg of glass-formers had been rationalized by
sensitivity to change in volume and entropy of the beta-relaxation, which is
passed onto the dissipation of the caged molecules and its contribution to
. The same rationalization applies to hydrated and solvated proteins for
the observed change of at Tg.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 1 Tabl
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