Influence of semicon shields on the dielectric loss of XLPE cables

Dielectric response measurement techniques in both time and frequency domains are studied in order to measure the dielectric loss of XLPE cables, which have very low losses. A high sensitivity transformer ratio bridge system, which can measure loss tangents as low as 10-5, has been developed with the ability to measure these cables. A tuned amplifier was designed to help to extend the frequency range from 200Hz to 20kHz. Different model cables from Borealis AB with different semiconducting materials have been measured in the temperature range 15⁰C to 120⁰C. It is found that the semiconducting layers dominate the dielectric loss in the insulation system of the XLPE cables, when the outer semicon is treated as measuring electrode. In this case, steadily increasing dielectric loss has been measured at higher frequencies. The resistivity of the semiconducting materials was measured, which confirmed that the increasing slope is due to the semiconducting layers. After using conductive tapes to wrap the cable samples, monotonically decreasing losses were measured, corresponding to the actual dielectric frequency response of the XLPE cables. It is concluded that the axial resistance of semiconducting shields have a substantial influence on the dielectric loss of XLPE cables, especially for dielectric response in high frequency range. A device on measuring the loss of such cables is presented

The measurement of very low conductivity and dielectric loss in XLPE cables: A possible method to detect degradation due to thermal aging

The dielectric response of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated, miniature power cables, extruded with inner and outer semicons, was measured over the frequency range 10-4 to 104 Hz at temperatures from 20 to 100 °C. A dielectric spectrometer was used for the frequency range 10-4 to 10-2 Hz. A bespoke noise-free power supply was constructed and used to measure the dc conductivity and, using a Fourier transform technique, it was also used to measure the very low dielectric tanδ losses encountered at frequencies of 1 to 100 Hz. Tanδ measurements of <;10-5 were found in this frequency range and attributed to a β-mode dielectric relaxation lying above 100 Hz due to motion of chain segments in the amorphous region and an β-mode relaxation lying below 1 Hz window due to twists of chains in the crystal lamellae. The dc conductivity measurements were consistent with those of the dielectric spectrometer and indicate lower dc conductivities in vacuum degassed cables than have been previously reported for XLPE (less than 10-17 S.m-1). The conduction process is thermally activated with an activation energy of approximately 1.1 eV. Higher conductivities were found for non-degassed cables. A transformer ratio bridge was used for measurements in the range 1 to 10 kHz; loss in this region was shown to be due to the series resistance of the semicon layers. Thermal ageing of the cables at 135 °C for 60 days caused significant increases in the conductivity and tanδ and it is considered that such measurements may be a sensitive way of measuring electrical degradation due to thermal aging

Temporally fluctuating prey and coexistence among unequal conspecific interferers

Coexistence among unequal conspecific interferers should be unlikely to persist if stronger interferers always experience a relative fitness increment from their higher foraging rates. In this study, we suggest that decreased relative costs to weaker interferers with increasing temporal fluctuations in prey availability may be a mechanism enhancing coexistence of unequal conspecific interferers. Previous work on fluctuation and coexistence has dealt with oscillations over a time-scale measured in generations of competitor species and their resources, while our work shows that fluctuations in prey availability facilitate coexistence of different phenotypic strategies within species and generations, and over short time-scales. With increasing amplitude of temporal fluctuation about an average prey density, cumulative intakes for differently strong interferers are affected differently. Because of the prey-dependent effect of interference, high amplitudes of fluctuation allow for relatively lower foraging-rate costs in weaker interferers, which decreases the difference in foraging success between strong and weaker interferers. This decreased difference in foraging success could thus significantly relax the conditions allowing for unequal interferer coexistence

Processing Issues in Top-Down Approaches to Quantum Computer Development in Silicon

We describe critical processing issues in our development of single atom devices for solid-state quantum information processing. Integration of single 31P atoms with control gates and single electron transistor (SET) readout structures is addressed in a silicon-based approach. Results on electrical activation of low energy (15 keV) P implants in silicon show a strong dose effect on the electrical activation fractions. We identify dopant segregation to the SiO2/Si interface during rapid thermal annealing as a dopant loss channel and discuss measures of minimizing it. Silicon nanowire SET pairs with nanowire width of 10 to 20 nm are formed by electron beam lithography in SOI. We present first results from Coulomb blockade experiments and discuss issues of control gate integration for sub-40nm gate pitch levels

Dielectric spectroscopy study of thermally-aged extruded model power cables

“Model” extruded power cables, having a much reduced geometry but using the same extrusion techniques and materials as full-sized cables, have been examined using dielectric spectroscopy techniques to study their thermal ageing effects. Cables insulated with homo-polymer XLPE and co-polymer of XLPE with micron-sized ethylene-butyl-acrylate (EBA) islands were studied by both frequency-domain and time-domain dielectric spectroscopy techniques after accelerated thermal ageing under 135°C for 60 days. In the frequency domain, a frequency response analyzer (FRA) was used to measure the frequency range from 10-4Hz to 1Hz at temperatures from 20°C to 80°C. In the time domain, a special charging/discharging current measurement system was developed to measure the frequencies from 10-1Hz to 102Hz. These techniques were chosen to cope with the extremely low dielectric losses of the model cables. The results are compared with those from new model power cables that were degassed at 80°C for 5 days. Thermal ageing was found to increase the low-frequency conductivity, permittivity and the discharging current. Both homo- and co-polymer cables have substantial increase of dielectric loss after ageing

Utlegging av rene leirmasser i Bekkelagsbassenget - etterundersøkelse 2007

Rene leirmasser (30000 m3) fra graving av trasé for senketunnel i Oslo havn ble i januar og februar 2007 deponert fra splittlekter på ca 50 m dyp i Bekkelagsbassenget. Hensikten var å bli kvitt rene overskuddsmasser og overdekke forurensede sedimenter. I følge utslippstillatelsen skulle det etter deponeringen foretas en etterundersøkelse slik at eventuelle effekter/miljøgevinster kunne dokumenteres. I denne rapporten redegjøres det for resultatene fra etterundersøkelsen. Undersøkelsen omfatter biologisk registrering ved bruk av sedimentprofilkamera (SPI), analyser av miljøgifter i sediment og semikvantitativ kartlegging av bunnfauna ved bruk av ROV/undervannsvideo. Etterundersøkelsen ble gjennomført høsten 2007 med de samme metoder som førundersøkelsen. Førundersøkelsen ble utført høsten 2006. Resultatene viser at miljøgiftkonsentrasjonen i deponeringsområdet har gått betydelig ned etter deponeringen og for enkelte miljøgifter også utenfor selve deponiområdet. Det ble 6-8 måneder etter deponeringen ikke registrert noen tydelig øket nedslamming på hardbunn i omkringliggende områder selv om en betydelig spredning av partikler trolig har funnet sted under selve deponeringen. Deponeringen har gitt en klar miljøgevinst i Bekklagsbassenget i form av lavere miljøgiftkonsentrasjoner i overflatesedimentet. Deponeringen har trolig heller ikke ført til uheldige effekter av betydning for utslippsarrangementet til Bekkelaget renseanlegg

Signatures of Wigner Localization in Epitaxially Grown Nanowires

It was predicted by Wigner in 1934 that the electron gas will undergo a transition to a crystallized state when its density is very low. Whereas significant progress has been made towards the detection of electronic Wigner states, their clear and direct experimental verification still remains a challenge. Here we address signatures of Wigner molecule formation in the transport properties of InSb nanowire quantum dot systems, where a few electrons may form localized states depending on the size of the dot (i.e. the electron density). By a configuration interaction approach combined with an appropriate transport formalism, we are able to predict the transport properties of these systems, in excellent agreement with experimental data. We identify specific signatures of Wigner state formation, such as the strong suppression of the antiferromagnetic coupling, and are able to detect the onset of Wigner localization, both experimentally and theoretically, by studying different dot sizes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Levitated droplet dye laser

We present the first observation, to our knowledge, of lasing from a levitated, dye droplet. The levitated droplets are created by computer controlled pico-liter dispensing into one of the nodes of a standing ultrasonic wave (100 kHz), where the droplet is trapped. The free hanging droplet forms a high quality optical resonator. Our 750 nL lasing droplets consist of Rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethylene glycol, at a concentration of 0.02 M. The droplets are optically pumped at 532 nm light from a pulsed, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser, and the dye laser emission is analyzed by a fixed grating spectrometer. With this setup we have achieved reproducible lasing spectra in the visible wavelength range from 610 nm to 650 nm. The levitated droplet technique has previously successfully been applied for a variety of bio-analytical applications at single cell level. In combination with the lasing droplets, the capability of this high precision setup has potential applications within highly sensitive intra-cavity absorbance detection.Comment: 6 pages including 3 figure

On the Higher Spin Content of Superfields

Two different possibilities of constructing superfields of arbitrary spin content are considered. In one the superfield itself transforms according to some representation of the homogeneous Lorentz group (H.L.G.) while in the other it is a scalar but is a function of several four component Majorana spinors