Balancing aspects of numerical dissipation,dispersion, and aliasing in time-accurate simulations

The current study looks at the selection of scheme elements that are well-suited for long-time integration of unsteady flows in the absence or under-resolution of physical diffusion. A concerted assembly of numerical components are chosen relative to a target aliasing limit, which is taken as a best-case scenario for overall spectral resolvability. High-order and optimized difference stencils are employed in order to achieve accuracy; meanwhile, quasi skew-symmetric splitting techniques for nonlinear transport terms are used in order to greatly improve robustness. Finally, tunable and scale-discriminant artificial-dissipation methods are incorporated for de-aliasing purposes and as a means of further enhancing both accuracy and stability. Central finite difference methods are considered, and spectral characterizations of the scheme components are presented. Canonical test cases (the isentropic vortex [IV] and Taylor-Green vortex problems) are chosen in order to highlight the benefits associated with the proposed approach for enhancing overall algorithm robustness and accuracy.     

Time-dependent strength of colloidal gels

Colloidal silica gels are shown to stiffen with time, as demonstrated by both dynamic light scattering and bulk rheological measurements. Their elastic moduli increase as a power law with time, independent of particle volume fraction; however, static light scattering indicates that there are no large-scale structural changes. We propose that increases in local elasticity arising from bonding between neighboring colloidal particles can account for the strengthening of the network, while preserving network structure.     

Growth of good quality InGaN multiple quantum wells by MOCVD

We report the optical properties of the blue emitting LED material that belongs to the III–V nitrides family. Quantum wells of InGaN were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Sapphire was used as the substrate material. Continuous wave and time resolved luminescence experiments were conducted in the temperature range of liquid helium to room temperature. Very intense blue luminescence was observed upto the room temperature. From the very broad linewidth of the emission it was concluded that the compositional fluctuations were dominant. At very low temperatures the lifetimes were found to be somewhat longer than the free exciton case which indicated the localization of excitons at potential fluctuations in the InGaN lattice.     

Dynamics of semi-infinite quantum spin chains atT=∞

Time-dependent spin autocorrelation functions and their spectral densities for the semi-infinite one-dimensionals=1/2 XY and XXZ models atT= are determined in part by rigorous calculations in the fermion representation and in part by the recursion method in the spin representation. Boundary effects yield valuable new insight into the different dynamical processes which govern the transport of spin fluctuations in the two models. The results obtained for theXXX model bear the unmistakable signature of spin diffusion in the form of a squareroot infrared divergence in the spectral density.From April 1 to September 30, 1992 also at Institut für Physik Universität Augsburg, W-8900 Augsburg, Federal Republic of Germany     

Calibration and Limits of Camera‐Based Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: A Supported Lipid Bilayer Study

Camera‐based fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) approaches allow the measurement of thousands of contiguous points yielding excellent statistics and details of sample structure. Imaging total internal reflection FCS (ITIR‐FCS) provides these measurements on lipid membranes. Herein, we determine the influence of the point spread function (PSF) of the optical system, the laser power used, and the time resolution of the camera on the accuracy of diffusion coefficient and concentration measurements. We demonstrate that the PSF can be accurately determined by ITIR‐FCS and that the laser power and time resolution can be varied over a wide range with limited influence on the measurement of the diffusion coefficient whereas the concentration measurements are sensitive to changes in the measurement parameters. One advantage of ITIR‐FCS is that the measurement of the PSF has to be performed only once for a given optical setup, in contrast to confocal FCS in which calibrations have to be performed at least once per measurement day. Using optimized experimental conditions we provide diffusion coefficients for over ten different lipid membranes consisting of one, two and three constituents, measured in over 200000 individual correlation functions. Using software binning and thus the inherent advantage of ITIR‐FCS of providing multiple observation areas in a single measurement we test the FCS diffusion law and show how they can be complemented by the local information provided by the difference in cross‐correlation functions (ΔCCF). With the determination of the PSF by ITIR‐FCS and the optimization of measurement conditions ITIR‐FCS becomes a calibration‐free method. This allows us to provide measurements of absolute diffusion coefficients for bilayers with different compositions, which were stable over many different bilayer preparations over a time of at least one year, using a single PSF calibration.     

Photoinduced phase separation and miscibility in the condensed phase of a mixed Langmuir monolayer

We report our studies on the mixed Langmuir monolayer of mesogenic molecules, p-(ethoxy)-p-phenylazo phenyl hexanoate (EPPH) and octyl cyano biphenyl (8CB), employing the techniques of surface manometry and Brewster angle microscopy. Our studies show that the mixed monolayer exhibits higher collapse pressures for certain mole fractions of EPPH in 8CB as compared to individual monolayers. Also, a considerable reduction in the area per molecule is seen in the mixed monolayer, indicating a condensed phase. We have also studied the photostability of the mixed monolayer at different initial surface pressures. The mixed monolayer, under alternate cycles of UV and visible illumination, exhibits changes in surface pressures. This is due to the photoinduced transformation of EPPH isomers in the mixed monolayer. Our in-situ Brewster angle microscope studies for 0.5 mole fraction of EPPH in 8CB show a phase separation in the UV and a miscible phase in the visible, at low surface pressures ( approximately 5 mN/m). At higher surface pressures ( approximately 10 mN/m), under UV illumination, we find a phase separation which does not revert to a miscible phase under visible illumination.     

Mesh quality effects on the accuracy of CFD solutions on unstructured meshes

The order of accuracy and error magnitude of node- and cell-centered schemes are examined on representative unstructured meshes and flowfield solutions for computational fluid dynamics. Specifically, we investigate the properties of inviscid and viscous flux discretizations for isotropic and highly stretched meshes using the Method of Manufactured Solutions. Grid quality effects are studied by randomly perturbing the base meshes and cataloguing the error convergence as a function of grid size. For isotropic grids, node-centered approaches produce less error than cell-centered approaches. Moreover, a corrected node-centered scheme is shown to maintain third order accuracy for the inviscid terms on arbitrary triangular meshes. In contrast, for stretched meshes, cell-centered schemes are favored, with cell-centered prismatic approaches in particular showing the lowest levels of error. In three dimensions, simple flux integrations on non-planar control volume faces lead to first-order solution errors, while second-order accuracy is recovered by triangulation of the non-planar faces.     

Subgrid combustion modeling of 3-D premixed flames in the thin-reaction-zone regime

Large eddy simulation (LES) is used to investigate three-dimensional (3D) lean premixed turbulent methane–air flames in the thin-reaction-zone regime. In this regime, the Kolmogorov scale is smaller than the preheat zone thickness, but larger than the reaction zone thickness. Past numerical studies of similar flames were primarily direct numerical simulation either in two-dimensions or using the artificially thickened flame approach in 3D. For an LES the effect of small (unresolved) scales on the scalar field must be, modeled accurately to capture the correct flame structure. A subgrid combustion model based on the linear-eddy-mixing (LEM) model is used within an LES framework (called LEM–LES hereafter) to capture the 3D flame-structure of the highly stretched premixed flames. A finite-rate, one-step methane–air chemistry with a non-unity Lewis number formulation is used in this study. The simulated flame structure resembles flames experimentally studied in the thin-reaction-zone regime. Even though the preheat zone is broadened by the penetration of small eddies, the chemical reaction zone remains thin and localized. This feature is captured properly in the current LEM–LES approach. The flame structure and other statistics such as the flame area evolution, curvature, and strain-rate statistics computed using the LEM–LES are also in good agreement with the past DNS studies.