Search results for "Microscopic scale"
showing 10 items of 16 documents
Entropic Interactions between Two Knots on a Semiflexible Polymer.
2017
Two knots on a string can either be separated or intertwined, and may even pass through each other. At the microscopic scale, such transitions may occur spontaneously, driven by thermal fluctuations, and can be associated with a topological free energy barrier. In this manuscript, we study the respective location of a trefoil ( 3 1 ) and a figure-eight ( 4 1 ) knot on a semiflexible polymer, which is parameterized to model dsDNA in physiological conditions. Two cases are considered: first, end monomers are grafted to two confining walls of varying distance. Free energy profiles and transition barriers are then compared to a subset of free chains, which contain exactly one 3 1 and one 4 1 kn…
Solitons and their observable signatures in quasi-one-dimensional systems
2005
We give an overview of the experimental signatures of nonlinear waves: notably topological and non topological solitons, in specific quasi-one-dimensional devices and condensed matter systems. Non topological solitons can be easily observed and manipulated, on a macroscopic scale, in optical fibers and electrical transmission lines. Topological solitons have been clearly identified as fluxons in Josephson transmission lines and as domain walls in condensed matter systems such as magnetic chains and synthetic polymers. By contrast, at the present time the observable signatures of nonlinear excitations such as pulse or envelope solitons and polarons, which are predicted to occur on a microsco…
Twin axial vortices generated by Fibonacci lenses.
2013
Optical vortex beams, generated by Diffractive Optical Elements (DOEs), are capable of creating optical traps and other multifunctional micromanipulators for very specific tasks in the microscopic scale. Using the Fibonacci sequence, we have discovered a new family of DOEs that inherently behave as bifocal vortex lenses, and where the ratio of the two focal distances approaches the golden mean. The disctintive optical properties of these Fibonacci vortex lenses are experimentally demonstrated. We believe that the versatility and potential scalability of these lenses may allow for new applications in micro and nanophotonics.
Model to Assess the Quality of Magmatic Rocks for Reliable and Sustainable Constructions
2017
Geomechanical assessment of rocks requires knowledge of phenomena that occur under the influence of internal and external factors at a macroscopic or microscopic scale, when rocks are submitted to different actions. To elucidate the quantitative and qualitative geomechanical behavior of rocks, knowing their geological and physical–mechanical characteristics becomes an imperative. Mineralogical, petrographical and chemical analyses provided an opportunity to identify 15 types of igneous rocks (gabbro, diabases, granites, diorites, rhyolites, andesites, and basalts), divided into plutonic and volcanic rocks. In turn, these have been grouped into acidic, neutral (intermediate) and basic magmat…
MICRO-SCALE STUDY OF RESIDUAL STRESSES IN CR2O3 COATINGS SPRAYED BY APS
2020
International audience; Whichever the application field, every material forming process generates residual stresses on the surface. While they are likely to enhance the aimed properties of the final mechanical part, these stresses may also drastically reduce them and result in early failures. Therefore, understanding the residual stress state remains a major challenge when coating complex parts, especially as most characterization methods at the microscopic scale involve specific sample preparation procedures which may affect the residual stresses field. This work investigates the residual stress state that exists in chromium oxide coatings deposited via Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS), usin…
Mechanical and Thermal Stability of Adhesive Membranes with Nonzero Bending Rigidity
2010
Membranes at a microscopic scale are affected by thermal fluctuations and self-adhesion due to van der Waals forces. Methods to prepare membranes of even molecular scale, e.g., graphene, have recently been developed, and the question of their mechanical and thermal stability is of crucial importance. To this end we modeled microscopic membranes with an attractive interaction and applied Langevin dynamics. Their behavior was also analyzed under external loading. Even though these membranes folded during isotropic compression as a result of energy minimization, the process at high confinement was similar to crumpling of macroscopic nonadhesive sheets. The main difference appeared when the com…
Surface magnetic structure investigation of a nanolaminated Mn$_2$GaC thin film using a magnetic field microscope based on Nitrogen-Vacancy centers
2021
This work presents a magnetic field imaging method based on color centers in diamond crystal applied to a thin film of a nanolaminated Mn$_2$GaC MAX phase. Magnetic properties of the surface related structures have been described around the first order transition at 214 K by performing measurements in the temperature range between 200 K and 235 K with the surface features fading out by increasing temperature above the transition temperature. The results presented here demonstrate how Nitrogen-Vacancy center based magnetic microscopy can supplement the traditionally used set of experimental techniques, giving additional information of microscopic scale magnetic field features, and allowing t…
Photoluminescence Imaging and LBIC Characterization of Defects in mc-Si Solar Cells
2018
Today’s photovoltaic market is dominated by multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) based solar cells with around 70% of worldwide production. In order to improve the quality of the Si material, a proper characterization of the electrical activity in mc-Si solar cells is essential. A full-wafer characterization technique such as photoluminescence imaging (PLi) provides a fast inspection of the wafer defects, though at the expense of the spatial resolution. On the other hand, a study of the defects at a microscopic scale can be achieved through the light-beam induced current technique. The combination of these macroscopic and microscopic resolution techniques allows a detailed study of the electric…
Phase Behavior and Microscopic Transport Processes in Binary Metallic Alloys: Computer Simulation Studies
2009
In a binary liquid mixture, different kinds of phase transitions can occur that are associated with various mass transport phenomena in the liquid. First, there is the possibility that the liquid undergoes a liquid-liquid demixing transition [1]. Near the critical point of this transition, a slowing down of dynamic properties is observed which is characterized, e.g., by a vanishing interdiffusion coefficient at the critical point [2, 3]. Another possible phase transition is a first-order transition of the liquid into a crystalline structure. In this case, crystal nucleation and growth are limited by the diffusive transport in the liquid [1, 4]. In a binary liquid, crystal nucleation process…
Intrinsic localized excitations in nonlinear lattices: Heuristic explanation for the nature of polar nanoregions?
2010
The study is addressed to a topical problem of self-localization in condensed state with special emphasis on a class of complex oxides categorized as ferroelectric relaxors. Basically, their anomalous temperature response is associated with the dynamics of microscopic scale polar regions supported by somewhat artificial metastable configurations. A unified approach to the spontaneous emergence and stability of the polar nanoregions is assigned to intrinsic localized excitations in Hamiltonian lattices with nonlinearity and non-Gibbsian statistics as necessary and sufficient ingredients of the theory.