Topological Phonon Modes in a Two-Dimensional Wigner Crystal

We investigate the spin-orbit coupling effect in a two-dimensional （2D） Wigner crystal. It is shown that sufficiently strong spin-orbit coupling and an appropriate sign of g-factor could transform the Wigner crystal to a topological phonon system. We demonstrate the existence of chiral phonon edge modes in finite size samples, as well as the robustness of the modes in the topological phase. We explore the possibility of realizing the topological phonon system in 2D Wigner crystals confined in semiconductor quantum wells/heterostructure. It is found that the spin-orbit coupling is too weak for driving a topological phase transition in these systems. It is argued that one may look for topological phonon systems in correlated Wigner crystals with emergent effective spin-orbit coupling.

Hierarchical ZSM-11 with intergrowth structures:Synthesis,characterization and catalytic properties

Hierarchical ZSM-11 microspheres with intercrystalline mesoporous properties and rod-like crystals intergrowth morphology have been synthesized using a spot of tetrabutylammonium as a single template.XRD,FTIR,SEM,TEM and N2 adsorption analysis revealed that each individual particle was composed of nanosized rod crystals inserting each other and the intercrystalline voids existing among rods gave a significant mesopore size distribution.Steam treatment result demonstrated the excellent hydrothermal stability of samples.Various crystallization modes including constant temperature crystallization (one-stage crystallization) and two-stage temperature-varying crystallization with different 1st stage durations were investigated.The results suggested that the crystallization modes were mainly responsible for the adjustable particle size and textural properties of samples while the small amount of tetrabutylammonium bromide was mainly used to direct the formation of both ZSM-11 framework and its intergrowth morphology.Furthermore,the performance of optimal ZSM-11 as an active component for the catalytic pyrolysis of heavy oil was also investigated.Compared with the commercial pyrolysis catalyst,the hierarchical ZSM-11 catalyst exhibited a high selectivity to desired products(LPG+gasoline+diesel),as well as a much lower dry gas and coke yield,plus a high selectivity and yield of light olefins(C=3 C=4)and very poor selectivity to benzene.Therefore,fully open micropore-mesopore connectivity would make such hierarchically porous ZSM-11 zeolites very attractive for applications in clean petrochemical catalysis field.

Upper limits for chlorophyll a changes with brine volume in sea ice during the austral spring in the Weddell Sea,Antarctica

During the winter and spring of 2006, we investigated the sea ice physics and marine biology in the northwest Weddell Sea, Antarctica aboard R/V Polarstern. We determined the texture of each ice core and 71 ice crystal thin sections from 27 ice cores. We analyzed 393 ice cores, their temperatures, 348 block density and salinity samples,and 311 chlorophyll a（Chl a） and phaeophytin samples along the cruise route during the investigation. Based on the vertical distributions of 302 groups of data for the ice porosity and Chl a content in the ice at the same position, we obtained new evidence that ice physical parameters influence the Chl a content in ice. We collected snow and ice thickness data, and established the effects of the snow and ice thickness on the Chl a blooms under the ice, as well as the relationships between the activity of ice algae cells and the brine volume in ice according to the principle of environmental control of the ecological balance. We determined the upper limits for Chl a in the brine volume of granular and columnar ice in the Antarctica, thereby demonstrating the effects of ice crystals on brine drainage, and the contributions of the physical properties of sea ice to Chl a blooms near the ice bottom and on the ice-water interface in the austral spring. Moreover, we found that the physical properties of sea ice affect ice algae and they are key control elements that modulate marine phytoplankton blooms in the ice-covered waters around Antarctica.

Properties of single and multiple defect modes in one-dimensional photonic crystals containing left-handed metamaterials

Wave propagation is studied in structures consisting of alternate left- and right-handed layers. Bragg gap and zero-n gap appear in different frequency regions of the structure. The periodicity of the structure is broken by simply reversing the order of the layers in one half of the structure, resulting in defect modes located inside the zero-n gap and Bragg gap. These modes can be made very narrow by adding more layers in the structure. The defect mode located inside the zero-n gap is sensitive to the symmetry of the structure and insensitive to the angle of incidence of the incoming radiation. Multiple modes are also generated inside the gaps by repeating the structural pattern. Thus, a simple structure can be used for single and multiple modes that are imDortant for different applications.

Measurement, modelling, and closed-loop control of crystal shape distribution： Literature review and future perspectives

Crystal morphology is known to be of great importance to the end-use properties of crystal products, and to affect down-stream processing such as filtration and drying. However, it has been previously regarded as too challenging to achieve automatic closed-loop control. Previous work has focused on controlling the crystal size distribution, where the size of a crystal is often defined as the diameter of a sphere that has the same volume as the crystal. This paper reviews the new advances in morphological population balance models for modelling and simulating the crystal shape distribution （CShD）, measuring and estimating crystal facet growth kinetics, and two- and three-dimensional imaging for on-line characterisation of the crystal morphology and CShD. A framework is presented that integrates the various components to achieve the ultimate objective of model-based closed-loop control of the CShD. The knowledge gaps and challenges that require further research are also identified.

Optimized guided mode resonant structure as thermooptic sensor and liquid crystal tunable filter

Applicability of guided mode resonant structures to tunable optical filtering and sensing is demonstrated using nematic liquid crystals. As a sensor, a minimum refractive index detectivity of 10^-5 is demonstrated while as a tunable filter, tunability range of few tens of nanometers with 2-nm bandwidth is presented. The optimum design is achieved by maximizing the evanescent field region in the analyte which maximizes the overlap integral. The device can be operated in reflection or transmission modes at normal incidence. It can also be operated at a single wavelength by measuring the angular profile of the light beam.

Experimental Investigation of Macro-Bending Loss in Large Mode Area Photonic Crystal Fibers

We measured macro-bending losses for two large mode area photonic crystal fibers. Experimental results show that macro-bending loss and loss window are dependent on the parameter d/∧ and number of air-holes ring in the cladding.

Mode field converter based on embedded photonic crystal fiber

Six high-index cores are embedded around the central solid core of the photonic crystal fiber to form a fiber embedded photonic crystal fiber （FEPCF）, which is investigated based on the beam propagation method. In this structure, the Gaussian mode could be transferred to the ring mode. So FEPCF could used as a mode convertor.

Elastic constants and softening of acoustic mode in K_2SnCl_6 crystal studied by Brillouin scattering

In this paper we present the Brillouin Scattering measurements of the longitudinal and transverse sound velocities for the hexahalome-atllate K2SnCl6 at room temperature . The elastic constants , refractive index , volume compressibility are determined from the Brillouin line shifts. Furthermore, the sound velocity in the [111] direction is investigated as a function of temperature 252K<T<270K . An acoustic adrupt change of the c11+2c12 mode is observed as the temperature approaches 256K from above, which has been analysed by means of the Pippard relations. The conclusion is that K2SnCl6 undergoes first order phase transition near T=256K. This acoustic anomaly can be interpreted by the nonlinear coupling of the elastic strain field to the fluctuation of the soft-mode coordinate.