556 research outputs found
Numerical simulation of super-square patterns in Faraday waves
We report the first simulations of the Faraday instability using the full
three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in domains much larger than the
characteristic wavelength of the pattern. We use a massively parallel code
based on a hybrid Front-Tracking/Level-set algorithm for Lagrangian tracking of
arbitrarily deformable phase interfaces. Simulations performed in rectangular
and cylindrical domains yield complex patterns. In particular, a
superlattice-like pattern similar to those of [Douady & Fauve, Europhys. Lett.
6, 221-226 (1988); Douady, J. Fluid Mech. 221, 383-409 (1990)] is observed. The
pattern consists of the superposition of two square superlattices. We
conjecture that such patterns are widespread if the square container is large
compared to the critical wavelength. In the cylinder, pentagonal cells near the
outer wall allow a square-wave pattern to be accommodated in the center
Coupling of a high-energy excitation to superconducting quasiparticles in a cuprate from Coherent Charge Fluctuation Spectroscopy
Dynamical information on spin degrees of freedom of proteins or solids can be
obtained by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR).
A technique with similar versatility for charge degrees of freedom and their
ultrafast correlations could move forward the understanding of systems like
unconventional superconductors. By perturbing the superconducting state in a
high-Tc cuprate using a femtosecond laser pulse, we generate coherent
oscillations of the Cooper pair condensate which can be described by an NMR/ESR
formalism. The oscillations are detected by transient broad-band reflectivity
and found to resonate at the typical scale of Mott physics (2.6 eV), suggesting
the existence of a non-retarded contribution to the pairing interaction, as in
unconventional (non Migdal-Eliashberg) theories.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences of the U.S.A. (PNAS
A microfluidic flow-cell for the study of the ultrafast dynamics of biological systems
The study of biochemical dynamics by ultrafast spectroscopic methods is often restricted by the limited amount of liquid sample available, while the high repetition rate of light sources can induce photodamage. In order to overcome these limitations, we designed a high flux, sub-ml, capillary flow-cell. While the 0.1 mm thin window of the 0.5 mm cross-section capillary ensures an optimal temporal resolution and a steady beam deviation, the cell-pump generates flows up to âŒ0.35 ml/s that are suitable to pump laser repetition rates up to âŒ14 kHz, assuming a focal spot-diameter of 100 ÎŒm. In addition, a decantation chamber efficiently removes bubbles and allows, via septum, for the addition of chemicals while preserving the closed atmosphere. The minimal useable amount of sample is âŒ250 ÎŒl
Hydrophobicity with atomic resolution: Steady-state and ultrafast X-ray absorption and molecular dynamics studies
Static and time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is used to probe the solvent shell structure around iodide and iodine. In particular, we characterize the changes observed upon electron abstraction of aqueous iodide, which reïŹects the transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic solvation after impulsive electron abstraction from iodide. The static spectrum of aqueous iodide, which is analyzed using quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, indicates that the hydrogens of the closest water molecules point toward the iodide, as expected for hydrophilic solvation. In addition, these simulations demonstrate a small anisotropy in the solvent shell. Following electron abstraction, most of the water molecules move away from iodine, while one comes closer to form a complex with it that survives for 3-4 ps. This lifetime is governed by the reorganization of the main solvation shell, basically the time it takes for the water molecules to reform a hydrogen bond network in the hydrophobic solvation shel
Evidence for a Peierls phase-transition in a three-dimensional multiple charge-density waves solid
The effect of dimensionality on materials properties has become strikingly
evident with the recent discovery of graphene. Charge ordering phenomena can be
induced in one dimension by periodic distortions of a material's crystal
structure, termed Peierls ordering transition. Charge-density waves can also be
induced in solids by strong Coulomb repulsion between carriers, and at the
extreme limit, Wigner predicted that crystallization itself can be induced in
an electrons gas in free space close to the absolute zero of temperature.
Similar phenomena are observed also in higher dimensions, but the microscopic
description of the corresponding phase transition is often controversial, and
remains an open field of research for fundamental physics. Here, we photoinduce
the melting of the charge ordering in a complex three-dimensional solid and
monitor the consequent charge redistribution by probing the optical response
over a broad spectral range with ultrashort laser pulses. Although the
photoinduced electronic temperature far exceeds the critical value, the
charge-density wave is preserved until the lattice is sufficiently distorted to
induce the phase transition. Combining this result with it ab initio}
electronic structure calculations, we identified the Peierls origin of multiple
charge-density waves in a three-dimensional system for the first time.Comment: Accepted for publication in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US
Wave packet dynamics of potassium dimers attached to helium nanodroplets
The dynamics of vibrational wave packets excited in K dimers attached to
superfluid helium nanodroplets is investigated by means of femtosecond
pump-probe spectroscopy. The employed resonant three-photon-ionization scheme
is studied in a wide wavelength range and different pathways leading to
K-formation are identified. While the wave packet dynamics of the
electronic ground state is not influenced by the helium environment,
perturbations of the electronically excited states are observed. The latter
reveal a strong time dependence on the timescale 3-8 ps which directly reflects
the dynamics of desorption of K off the helium droplets
X-ray Absorption Linear Dichroism at the Ti K-edge of TiO2 anatase single crystal
Anatase TiO2 (a-TiO2) exhibits a strong X-ray absorption linear dichroism
with the X-ray incidence angle in the pre-edge, the XANES and the EXAFS at the
titanium K-edge. In the pre-edge region the behaviour of the A1-A3 and B peaks,
originating from the 1s-3d transitions, is due to the strong -orbital
polarization and strong orbital mixing. An unambiguous assignment of the
pre-edge peak transitions is made in the monoelectronic approximation with the
support of ab initio finite difference method calculations and spherical tensor
analysis in quantitative agreement with the experiment. It is found that A1 is
mostly an on-site 3d-4p hybridized transition, while peaks A3 and B are
non-local transitions, with A3 being mostly dipolar and influence by the 3d-4p
intersite hybridization, while B is due to interactions at longer range.
Finally, peak A2 which was previously assigned to a transition involving
pentacoordinated titanium atoms exhibits a quadrupolar angular evolution with
incidence angle. These results pave the way to the use of the pre-edge peaks at
the K-edge of a-TiO2 to characterize the electronic structure of related
materials and in the field of ultrafast XAS where the linear dichroism can be
used to compare the photophysics along different axes.Comment: 43 pages, 19 figure
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