Search results for " clusters"
showing 10 items of 1091 documents
Negative thermal expansion in cuprite-type compounds: A combined synchrotron XRPD, EXAFS, and computational study of Cu2O and Ag2O
2006
Cuprite-type oxides (Cu2O and Ag2O) are framework structures composed by two interpenetrated networks of metal-sharing M4O tetrahedra (M = Cu, Ag). Both compounds exhibit a peculiar negative thermal expansion (NTE) behaviour over an extended temperature range (9 240 K for Cu2O, 30-470 K for Ag2O). High-accuracy synchrotron powder diffraction and EXAFS measurements were performed from 10 K up to the decomposition temperature to understand the nature of the NTE effects. The critical comparison of the diffraction and absorption results concerning the temperature dependence of the interatomic distances and of the atomic vibrational parameters proves to be fundamental in defining the local dynam…
Large numbers of cold positronium atoms created in laser-selected Rydberg states using resonant charge exchange
2016
Lasers are used to control the production of highly excited positronium atoms (Ps*). The laser light excites Cs atoms to Rydberg states that have a large cross section for resonant charge-exchange collisions with cold trapped positrons. For each trial with 30 million trapped positrons, more than 700 000 of the created Ps* have trajectories near the axis of the apparatus, and are detected using Stark ionization. This number of Ps* is 500 times higher than realized in an earlier proof-of-principle demonstration (2004 Phys. Lett. B 597 257). A second charge exchange of these near-axis Ps* with trapped antiprotons could be used to produce cold antihydrogen, and this antihydrogen production is e…
Stabilized Naked Sub-nanometric Cu Clusters within a Polymeric Film Catalyze C-N, C-C, C-O, C-S, and C-P Bond-Forming Reactions
2015
[EN] Sub-nanometric Cu clusters formed by endogenous reduction of Cu salts and Cu nanoparticles are active and selective catalysts for C−N, C−C, C−O, C−S, and C−P bond-forming reactions. Sub-nanometric Cu clusters have also been generated within a polymeric film and stored with full stability for months. In this way, they are ready to be used on demand and maintain high activity (TONs up to 104 ) and selectivity for the above reactions. A potential mechanism for the formation of the sub-nanometric clusters and their electronic nature is presented.
Magic triangular and tetrahedral clusters
1997
Using the methods of density functional theory and the jellium model we show that clusters with triangular [in two dimensions (2D)] or tetrahedral [in three dimensions (3D)] shapes have a strong shell structure and enhanced stability. Moreover, the shell closings correspond to the lowest magic numbers of a 2D and 3D harmonic oscillator and at the same time to the number of divalent atoms in close-packed triangles and tetrahedrons. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for Na and Mg clusters support the results of the jellium model.
UV variability and accretion dynamics in the young open cluster NGC 2264
2015
We explore UV and optical variability signatures for several hundred members of NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed simultaneous u- and r-band monitoring over two full weeks with CFHT/MegaCam. About 750 young stars are probed; 40% of them are accreting. Statistically distinct variability properties are observed for accreting and non-accreting cluster members. The accretors exhibit a significantly higher level of variability than the non-accretors, especially in the UV. The amount of u-band variability correlates statistically with UV excess in disk-bearing objects, which suggests that accretion and star-disk interaction are the main sources of variability. Cool magnetic spots, several hundred de…
X-shooter spectroscopy of young stars with disks. The TW Hydrae association as a probe of the final stages of disk accretion
2019
We investigate ongoing accretion activity in young stars in the TW Hydrae association (TWA, ~8-10 Myr), an ideal target to probe the final stages of disk accretion down to brown dwarf masses. Our sample comprises eleven TWA members with infrared excess, amounting to 85% of the total TWA population with disks, with spectral types between M0 and M9, and masses between 0.58 and 0.02 Msol. We employed homogeneous spectroscopic data from 300 to 2500 nm, obtained with X-shooter, to derive individual extinction, stellar parameters, and accretion parameters simultaneously. We then examined Balmer lines and forbidden emission lines to probe the physics of the star-disk interaction environment. We de…
Gaia -ESO Survey: Analysis of pre-main sequence stellar spectra
2015
This paper describes the analysis of UVES and GIRAFFE spectra acquired by the Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey in the fields of young clusters whose population includes pre-main sequence (PMS) stars. Both methods that have been extensively used in the past and new ones developed in the contest of the Gaia-ESO survey enterprise are available and used. The internal precision of these quantities is estimated by inter-comparing the results obtained by such different methods, while the accuracy is estimated by comparison with independent external data, like effective temperature and surface gravity derived from angular diameter measurements, on a sample of benchmarks stars. Specific strategi…
A series expansion of the extended Debye-H�ckel equation and application to linear prediction of stability constants
1996
The Debye-Hückel semiempirical extended equation is frequently used to calculate activity coefficients of chemical species and equilibrium constants at ionic strengths different from those used in their experimental evaluation. A series expansion of the extended Debye-Hückel equation is proposed here and checked with experimental data taken from the literature. The expansion is linear in the ionic parameters and yields a geometrical series which converges rapidly and that enables the accurate calculation of interpolated and extrapolated activity coefficients and equilibrium constants by simple and multiple linear regression without previous knowledge of the ionic parameters.
Longitudinal Study on Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART): Clustering Approach for Mobility and Cognitive Decline
2022
The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) is a computer-based go/no-go task to measure neurocognitive function in older adults. However, simplified average features of this complex dataset lead to loss of primary information and fail to express associations between test performance and clinically meaningful outcomes. Here, we combine a novel method to visualise individual trial (raw) information obtained from the SART test in a large population-based study of ageing in Ireland and an automatic clustering technique. We employed a thresholding method, based on the individual trial number of mistakes, to identify poorer SART performances and a fuzzy clusters algorithm to partition the da…
Top-quark mass measurements at the LHC: alternative methods
2016
Alternative top quark mass determinations can provide inputs to the world average with orthogonal systematic uncertainties and may help to refine the interpretation of the standard method. Among a number of recent results I focus on the extractions by ATLAS and CMS of the top quark pole mass from the top quark pair and tt + 1 jet production cross-section, which have now reached a precision of 1%. Alternative top quark mass determinations can provide inputs to the world average with orthogonal systematic uncertainties and may help to refine the interpretation of the standard method. Among a number of recent results I focus on the extractions by ATLAS and CMS of the top quark pole mass from t…