A study of the electronic properties of liquid alkali metals. A self--consistent approach

We study the electronic properties (density of states, conductivity and thermopower) of some nearly--free--electron systems: the liquid alkali metals and two liquid alloys, Li-Na and Na-K. The study has been performed within the self-consistent second order Renormalized Propagator Perturbation Expansion (RPE) for the self-energy. The input ionic pseudopotentials and static correlation functions are derived from the neutral pseudoatom method and the modified hypernetted chain theory of liquids, respectively. Reasonable agreement with experiment is found for Na, K, Rb and Na-K, whereas for Li and Cs and Li-Na the agreement is less satisfactoryComment: 14 pages, Latex, 1 figure, 1 tabl

Alkaline battery containing a separator of a cross-linked copolymer of vinyl alcohol and unsaturated carboxylic acid

A battery separator for an alkaline battery is described. The separator comprises a cross linked copolymer of vinyl alcohol units and unsaturated carboxylic acid units. The cross linked copolymer is insoluble in water, has excellent zincate diffusion and oxygen gas barrier properties and a low electrical resistivity. Cross linking with a polyaldehyde cross linking agent is preferred

Collisionless reconnection: The sub-microscale mechanism of magnetic field line interaction

Magnetic field lines are quantum objects carrying one quantum $\Phi_0=2\pi\hbar/e$ of magnetic flux and have finite radius $\lambda_m$. Here we argue that they possess a very specific dynamical interaction. Parallel field lines reject each other. When confined to a certain area they form two-dimensional lattices of hexagonal structure. We estimate the filling factor of such an area. Antiparallel field lines, on the other hand, attract each other. We identify the physical mechanism as being due to the action of the gauge potential field which we determine quantum mechanically for two parallel and two antiparallel field lines. The distortion of the quantum electrodynamic vacuum causes a cloud of virtual pairs. We calculate the virtual pair production rate from quantum electrodynamics and estimate the virtual pair cloud density, pair current and Lorentz force density acting on the field lines via the pair cloud. These properties of field line dynamics become important in collisionless reconnection, consistently explaining why and how reconnection can spontaneously set on in the field-free centre of a current sheet below the electron-inertial scale.Comment: 13 journal pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ann. Geophy

The role of slip transfer at grain boundaries in the propagation of microstructurally short fatigue cracks in Ni-based superalloys

Crack initiation and propagation under high-cycle fatigue conditions have been investigated for a polycrystalline Ni-based superalloy by in-situ synchrotron assisted diffraction and phase contrast tomography. The cracks nucleated along the longest coherent twin boundaries pre-existing on the specimen surface, that were well oriented for slip and that presented a large elastic incompatibility across them. Moreover, the propagation of microstructurally short cracks was found to be determined by the easy slip transfer paths across the pre-existing grain boundaries. This information can only be obtained by characterization techniques like the ones presented here that provide the full set of 3D microstructural information

Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol films as alkaline battery separators

Cross-linking methods were investigated to determine their effect on the performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films as alkaline battery separators. The following types of cross-linked PVA films are discussed: (1) PVA-dialdehyde blends post-treated with an acid or acid periodate solution (two-step method) and (2) PVA-dialdehyde blends cross-linked during film formation (drying) by using a reagent with both aldehyde and acid functionality (one-step method). Laboratory samples of each cross-linked type of film were prepared and evaluated in standard separator screening tests. The pilot-plant batches of films were prepared and compared to measure differences due to the cross-linking method. The pilot-plant materials were then tested in nickel oxide - zinc cells to compare the two methods with respect to performance characteristics and cycle life. Cell test results are compared with those from tests with Celgard

On the use of local max-ent shape functions for the simulation of forming processes

In this work we review the opportunities given by the use of local maximum-\ud entropy approximants (LME) for the simulation of forming processes. This approximation can\ud be considered as a meshless approximation scheme, and thus presents some appealing features\ud for the numerical simulation of forming processes in a Galerkin framework.\ud Especially the behavior of these shape functions at the boundary is interesting. At nodes\ud on the boundary, the functions possess a weak Kronecker-delta property, hence simplifying the\ud prescription of boundary conditions. Shape functions at the boundary do not overlap internal\ud nodes, nor do internal shape functions overlap nodes at the boundary. Boundary integrals can be\ud computed easily and efficiently compared to for instance moving least-squares approximations.\ud Furthermore, LME shapes also present a controllable degree of smoothness.\ud To test the performance of the LME shapes, an elastic and a elasto-plastic problem was\ud analyzed. The results were compared with a meshless method based on a moving least-squares\ud approximation

Polyvinyl alcohol membranes as alkaline battery separators

Polyvinly alcohol (PVA) cross-linked with aldehyde reagents yields membranes that demonstrate properties that make them suitable for use as alkaline battery separators. Film properties can be controlled by the choice of cross-linker, cross-link density and the method of cross-linking. Three methods of cross-linking and their effects on film properties are discussed. Film properties can also be modified by using a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and acrylic acid as the base for the separator and cross-linking it similarly to the PVA. Fillers can be incorporated into the films to further modify film properties. Results of separator screening tests and cell tests for several variations of PBA films are discussed

A Dense Reference Network for Mass-Market Centimeter-Accurate Positioning

The quality of atmospheric corrections provided by a dense reference network for centimeter-accurate carrierphase differential GNSS (CDGNSS) positioning is investigated. A dense reference network (less than 20 km inter-station distance) offers significant benefits for mass-market users, enabling lowcost (including single-frequency) CDGNSS positioning with rapid integer ambiguity resolution. Precise positioning on a massmarket platform would significantly influence the world economy, ushering in a host of consumer-focused applications such as globally-registered augmented and virtual reality and improved all-weather safety and efficiency for intelligent transportation systems, applications which have so far been hampered by the several-meter-level errors in standard GNSS positioning. This contribution examines CDGNSS integer ambiguity resolution performance in terms of network correction uncertainty, and network correction uncertainty, in turn, in terms of network density. It considers the total error in network corrections: a sum of ionospheric, tropospheric, and reference station multipath components. The paper’s primary goal is to identify the network density beyond which mass-market users would see no further significant improvement in ambiguity resolution performance. It finishes by describing development and deployment of a low-cost dense reference network in Austin, Texas.Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanic

Direct constraints on the dark matter self-interaction cross-section from the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56

We compare new maps of the hot gas, dark matter, and galaxies for 1E0657-56, a cluster with a rare, high-velocity merger occurring nearly in the plane of the sky. The X-ray observations reveal a bullet-like gas subcluster just exiting the collision site. A prominent bow shock gives an estimate of the subcluster velocity, 4500 km/s, which lies mostly in the plane of the sky. The optical image shows that the gas lags behind the subcluster galaxies. The weak-lensing mass map reveals a dark matter clump lying ahead of the collisional gas bullet, but coincident with the effectively collisionless galaxies. From these observations, one can directly estimate the cross-section of the dark matter self-interaction. That the dark matter is not fluid-like is seen directly in the X-ray -- lensing mass overlay; more quantitative limits can be derived from three simple independent arguments. The most sensitive constraint, sigma/m<1 cm^2/g, comes from the consistency of the subcluster mass-to-light ratio with the main cluster (and universal) value, which rules out a significant mass loss due to dark matter particle collisions. This limit excludes most of the 0.5-5 cm^2/g interval proposed to explain the flat mass profiles in galaxies. Our result is only an order-of-magnitude estimate which involves a number of simplifying, but always conservative, assumptions; stronger constraints may be derived using hydrodynamic simulations of this cluster.Comment: Text clarified; some numbers changed slightly for consistency with final version of the accompanying lensing paper. 6 pages, uses emulateapj. ApJ in pres

Collisionless reconnection: magnetic field line interaction

Magneticfieldlinesarequantumobjectscarrying onequantum0=2πh ̄/eofmagneticfluxandhavefinite radius λm. Here we argue that they possess a very specific dynamicalinteraction.Parallelfieldlinesrejecteachother. When confined to a certain area they form two-dimensional lattices of hexagonal structure. We estimate the filling factor of such an area. Anti-parallel field lines, on the other hand, at- tract each other. We identify the physical mechanism as being due to the action of the gauge potential field, which we de- termine quantum mechanically for two parallel and two anti- parallel field lines. The distortion of the quantum electrody- namic vacuum causes a cloud of virtual pairs. We calculate the virtual pair production rate from quantum electrodynam- ics and estimate the virtual pair cloud density, pair current and Lorentz force density acting on the field lines via the pair cloud. These properties of field line dynamics become im- portant in collisionless reconnection, consistently explaining why and how reconnection can spontaneously set on in the field-free centre of a current sheet below the electron-inertial scale