Dispersions of ellipsoidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal

Colloidal particles dispersed in a partially ordered medium, such as a liquid crystal (LC) phase, disturb its alignment and are subject to elastic forces. These forces are long-ranged, anisotropic and tunable through temperature or external fields, making them a valuable asset to control colloidal assembly. The latter is very sensitive to the particle geometry since it alters the interactions between the colloids. We here present a detailed numerical analysis of the energetics of elongated objects, namely prolate ellipsoids, immersed in a nematic host. The results, complemented with qualitative experiments, reveal novel LC configurations with peculiar topological properties around the ellipsoids, depending on their aspect ratio and the boundary conditions imposed on the nematic order parameter. The latter also determine the preferred orientation of ellipsoids in the nematic field, because of elastic torques, as well as the morphology of particles aggregates.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure

The Most Detailed Portrait of Earth

The most detailed maps ever of Earth¿s land surface have been created with the help of ESA¿s Envisat environmental satellite. Land cover has been charted from space before, but this global map has a resolution 10 times sharper than any of its predecessors.JRC.H.3-Global environement monitorin

Nickel and Chromium Stable Isotopic Composition of Ureilites: Implications for the Earth's Core Formation and Differentiation of the Ureilite Parent Body

We report the first Ni and Cr stable isotope data for ureilite meteorites that are the mantle residue of a carbon-rich differentiated planet. Ureilites have similar Ni stable isotope compositions as chondrites, suggesting that the core-mantle differentiation of ureilite parent body (UPB) did not fractionate Ni isotopes. Since the size of Earth is potentially larger than that of UPB; with diameter >690 km), resulting in higher temperatures at the core-mantle boundary of Earth, it can be predicted that the terrestrial core formation may not directly cause Ni stable isotope fractionation. On the other hand, we also report high-precision Cr stable isotope composition of ureilites, including one ureilitic trachyandesite (ALM-A) that is enriched in lighter Cr stable isotopes relative to the main-group ureilites, which suggests that the partial melting occurred on UPB. The globally heavy Cr in the UPB compared to chondrites can be caused by sulfur-rich core formation processes

Frequency Measurement of an Ar+ Laser Stabilized on Narrow Lines of Molecular Iodine at 501.7 nm

A spectrometer for ultra high-resolution spectroscopy of molecular iodine at wave length 501.7 nm, near the dissociation limit is described. Line shapes about 30 kHz wide (HWHM) were obtained using saturation spectroscopy in a pumped cell. The frequency of an Ar+ laser was locked to a hyperfine component of the R(26)62-0 transition and the first absolute frequency measurement of this line is reported

Doubly phenoxide-bridged binuclear copper(II) complexes with ono tridentate schiff base ligand: Synthesis, structural, magnetic and theoretical studies

International audienceThe tridentate ONO-donor Schiff base ligand H2L, derived from the condensation of 1-anisyl-1,3-butanedione and 2-aminophenol, was generated in situ and reacted with Cu(NO3)2*3H2O to yield two doubly phenoxo bridged di-copper(II) complexes depending on the nitrogenous base used. [Cu2L2] (1) is obtained in 85% and 75% yield in the presence of pyridine or 4-picoline, respectively, and [(py-tBu)2Cu2L2] (2) is isolated in 75% yield in the presence of 4-tert-butylpyridine. Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized in the solid-state by elemental analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that in 1 the two four-coordinated copper atoms adopt a square planar geometry, whereas in 2 each Cu(II) metal ion shows a five coordinate square pyramidal (ONO,N + O) geometry. In each dimer, two μ-phenolic oxygen atoms bridge the two half-units forming a planar Cu2O2 core. EPR studies in fluid solutions indicate that the dimeric structure of 1 and 2 is destroyed upon dissolution. In the solid-state, 1 is EPR silent, whereas 2 presents an unresolved broad resonance (ΔH peak-to-peak = 71.5 G) with g = 2.071 at 298 K, along with the triplet state (S = 1) signature at g = 4.181. Variable temperature (2-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements exhibit strong antiferromagnetic interactions between the Cu(II) centers with a J value of −397 cm−1 for 1, while no interaction operates between the two spins localized on Cu(II) metal ions in 2. Ab initio calculations were also performed to supplement the experimental results