Directed transient long-range transport in a slowly driven Hamiltonian system of interacting particles

We study the Hamiltonian dynamics of a one-dimensional chain of linearly coupled particles in a spatially periodic potential which is subjected to a time-periodic mono-frequency external field. The average over time and space of the related force vanishes and hence, the system is effectively without bias which excludes any ratchet effect. We pay special attention to the escape of the entire chain when initially all of its units are distributed in a potential well. Moreover for an escaping chain we explore the possibility of the successive generation of a directed flow based on large accelerations. We find that for adiabatic slope-modulations due to the ac-field transient long-range transport dynamics arises whose direction is governed by the initial phase of the modulation. Most strikingly, that for the driven many particle Hamiltonian system directed collective motion is observed provides evidence for the existence of families of transporting invariant tori confining orbits in ballistic channels in the high dimensional phase spaces

Evaluating forest restoration effects on timing of avian dawn chorus in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

Monitoring of forest restoration efforts is essential to ensure healthy, self-sustaining tropical rainforests. Passive acoustic monitoring is used to monitor vocal activity of birds, which play a key role in forest ecosystems as seed dispersers. Communication between birds seems most profitable during a peak of bird singing in the morning, known as the dawn chorus. Anthropogenic disturbances leading to increased light levels affect the timing of this chorus in individual species. This research sheds a light on the effect of forest restoration on the dawn chorus using automatic detection methods to identify bird sounds from acoustic data. Machine learning methods like clustering and pattern matching were used alongside a manual analysis to describe the dawn chorus in protected forests as well as restoration sites around Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Restoration sites were found to have lower species richness and increased interference from insect sounds. No difference was found between timing of the dawn chorus in both forest habitats. This can possibly be assigned to changes in community composition and decreased detectability of species in insect-dominated landscapes. Future research could further disentangle these effects, by filtering of acoustic data, development of workflow pathways and the use of stronger machine learning methods that allow for more reliable species-specific detection. In the current state of automatic acoustic methods, close cooperation with local experts is recommended to achieve effective monitoring in tropical rainforests

Kinetic analysis of the thermal isomerisation pathways in an asymmetric double azobenzene switch

Here we report a photochemical and kinetic study of the thermal relaxation reaction of a double azobenzene system, in which two azobenzene photochromic units are connected via a phenyl ring. Upon UV irradiation, three thermally unstable isomers are formed. Kinetic studies using arrayed H-1-NMR spectroscopy revealed four distinct barriers for the thermal reversion to the stable isomer. The double isomerised Z,Z-2 can revert thermally to the E,E-2 isomer via either of two isomerisation pathways. The thermal Z to E isomerisations are not significantly affected by the state of the neighbouring azo-switching unit in the meta position. These findings are supported by quantum chemical calculations on the thermal Z to E isomerisation

Interface formation in K doped poly(dialkoxy-p-phenylene vinylene) light-emitting diodes

Manufacturing of Al/K/OC1C10 poly(p-phenylene vinylene)/indium–tin–oxide light emitting diode structures by physical vapor deposition of K onto the emissive polymer layer has been characterized by electroluminescence and ion spectroscopy. Varying the deposited K areal density from 3.9×1012 to 1.2×1014 atoms cm−2 the external efficiency rises from 0.01 to 1.2 Cd A−1. Spectra obtained by ion scattering analysis demonstrate the overall absence of K at the polymer outermost surface layer, and diffusion up to a depth of 200 Å. Depth profiles have been derived, and were modeled using an irreversible first order “trapping” reaction. Trapping may stem from confinement of the electron at a conjugated segment, that was donated through charge transfer typical for alkali/π-conjugated systems. This study demonstrates that evaporation of low work function metals onto organic systems should not be depicted as simple layered stacking structures. The enhanced electroluminescence with submonolayer K deposition is attributed to the shift of the recombination zone away from the Al cathode, which is demonstrated to prevail over the known exciton quenching mechanism due to the formation of gap states