An improved magnetic field simulator - MAGFLD.

An improved two-dimensional simulator MAGFLD has been developed which is useful for the design and simulation of periodic permanent magnet (PPM) focusing system for linear beam tubes. At present, input is possible only through the input file, which is very simple and user friendly. A complete PPM circuit is generated using the coordinates of first pole piece, first magnet, gun adapter (if the structure is a-periodic) and the region of computation. Small mesh units of either square or rectangular shapes can be used with mesh refinement capability in one or more regions in any or both directions for better accuracy of the solution. Materials with different magnetic permeability can be modeled by defining a characteristic value for each mesh point of the geometry. The effective potential value at each point in the region of interest is calculated based on the vector potential model by using the 5-point finite difference method and the solution is achieved by over relaxation technique for faster convergence. This package has an interface with EGUN to model the electron gun and collector under the influence of magnetic field. Versatile color graphics are capable of plotting both axial magnetic field and flux lines along with the magnetic circuit. MAGFLD has been validated against some published data and experimental results

Comparative study of hexane extract for volatile and non volatile components of leaves and rhizomes of Acorus calamus linn. using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)

The present communication attempts to evaluate the comparative study of leaves and rhizomes of Acorus calamus Linn. (Family; Araceae) using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). Since the plant contains various volatile and non-volatile components so paper advocates the quantitative study using hexane extract. Acorus calamus Linn. is a well known medicinal plant in traditional medical systems  having various ethno-pharmacological uses. As the official source of the plant is roots and rhizomes, but here study had been done comparatively with leaves. Previously leaves of Acorus calamus were not regarded as useful part of plant, but recently there is growing interest in leaves of the said plant. The leaves are considered to possess various activities such as an insect repellent, when cut up and kept with grain storage; anti-hyperlipidemic; anti-diabetic; antipsychotic; anti-inflammatory and analgesic. As there is no detailed work reported in leaf constituents of the plant, therefore the study revealed specific quantitative HPTLC data for the plant for future standardization work. HPTLC analysis of both leaves and rhizomes showed the presence of Asarone, β- sitosterol, lupeol and Ursolic acid when matched with marker compounds

Near-IR studies of recurrent nova V745 Scorpii during its 2014 outburst

The recurrent nova (RN) V745 Scorpii underwent its third known outburst on 2014 February 6. Infrared monitoring of the eruption on an almost daily basis, starting from 1.3d after discovery, shows the emergence of a powerful blast wave generated by the high velocity nova ejecta exceeding 4000 kms$^{-1}$ plowing into its surrounding environment. The temperature of the shocked gas is raised to a high value exceeding 10$^{8}$K immediately after outburst commencement. The energetics of the outburst clearly surpass those of similar symbiotic systems like RS Oph and V407 Cyg which have giant secondaries. The shock does not show a free-expansion stage but rather shows a decelerative Sedov-Taylor phase from the beginning. Such strong shockfronts are known to be sites for $\gamma$ ray generation. V745 Sco is the latest nova, apart from five other known novae, to show $\gamma$ ray emission. It may be an important testbed to resolve the crucial question whether all novae are generically $\gamma$ ray emitters by virtue of having a circumbinary reservoir of material that is shocked by the ejecta rather than $\gamma$ ray generation being restricted to only symbiotic systems with a shocked red giant (RG) wind. The lack of a free-expansion stage favors V745 Sco to have a density enhancement around the white dwarf (WD), above that contributed by a RG wind. Our analysis also suggests that the WD in V745 Sco is very massive and a potential progenitor for a future SN Ia explosion.Comment: To appear in ApJ (Letters

Precise and ultrafast molecular sieving through graphene oxide membranes

There has been intense interest in filtration and separation properties of graphene-based materials that can have well-defined nanometer pores and exhibit low frictional water flow inside them. Here we investigate molecular permeation through graphene oxide laminates. They are vacuum-tight in the dry state but, if immersed in water, act as molecular sieves blocking all solutes with hydrated radii larger than 4.5A. Smaller ions permeate through the membranes with little impedance, many orders of magnitude faster than the diffusion mechanism can account for. We explain this behavior by a network of nanocapillaries that open up in the hydrated state and accept only species that fit in. The ultrafast separation of small salts is attributed to an 'ion sponge' effect that results in highly concentrated salt solutions inside graphene capillaries

The peculiar extinction law of SN2014J measured with The Hubble Space Telescope

The wavelength-dependence of the extinction of Type Ia SN2014J in the nearby galaxy M82 has been measured using UV to near-IR photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Nordic Optical Telescope, and the Mount Abu Infrared Telescope. This is the first time that the reddening of a SN Ia is characterized over the full wavelength range of $0.2$-$2$ microns. A total-to-selective extinction, $R_V\geq3.1$, is ruled out with high significance. The best fit at maximum using a Galactic type extinction law yields $R_V = 1.4\pm0.1$. The observed reddening of SN2014J is also compatible with a power-law extinction, $A_{\lambda}/A_V = \left( {\lambda}/ {\lambda_V} \right)^{p}$ as expected from multiple scattering of light, with $p=-2.1\pm0.1$. After correction for differences in reddening, SN2014J appears to be very similar to SN2011fe over the 14 broad-band filter light curves used in our study.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ