Stark Contribution Research Articles

Philip B. Stark’s contribution to the Discussion of ‘Estimating means of bounded random variables by betting’ by Waudby-Smith and Ramdas

Philip B. Stark’s contribution to the Discussion of ‘Estimating means of bounded random variables by betting’ by Waudby-Smith and Ramdas

Rethinking Vibrational Stark Spectroscopy: Peak Shifts, Line Widths, and the Role of Non-Stark Solvent Coupling

A vibration's transition frequency is partly determined by the first-order Stark effect, which accounts for the electric field experienced by the mode. Using ultrafast infrared pump-probe and FT-IR spectroscopies, we characterized both the 0 → 1 and 1 → 2 vibrational transitions' field-dependent peak positions and line widths of the CN stretching mode of benzonitrile (BZN) and phenyl selenocyanate (PhSeCN) in ten solvents. We present a theoretical model that decomposes the observed line width into a field-dependent Stark contribution and a field-independent non-Stark solvent coupling contribution (NSC). The model demonstrates that the field-dependent peak position is independent of the line width, even when the NSC dominates the latter. Experiments show that when the Stark tuning rate is large compared to the NSC (PhSeCN), the line width has a field dependence, albeit with major NSC-induced excursions from linearity. When the Stark tuning rate is small relative to the NSC (BZN), the line width is field-independent. BZN's line widths are substantially larger for the 1 → 2 transition, indicating a 1 → 2 transition enhancement of the NSC. Additionally, we examine, theoretically and experimentally, the difference in the 0 → 1 and 1 → 2 transitions' Stark tuning rates. Second-order perturbation theory combined with density functional theory explain the difference and show that the 1 → 2 transition's Stark tuning rate is ∼10% larger. The Stark tuning rate of PhSeCN is larger than BZN's for both transitions, consistent with the theoretical calculations. This study provides new insights into vibrational line shape components and a more general understanding of the vibrational response to external electric fields.

Amount of Waste used for Different Purposes: A Socio-ecological Impact

Waste is a ceaselessly developing issue at worldwide and territorial just as at neighborhood levels. Due to vigorous globalization and product proliferation in recent years, more waste has been produced by the soaring manufacturing activities. The social ecology of waste recycling implies the structural, functional and managerial intervention of waste generation process. The specific objective of the research was to isolate and identify the system variables characterizing and the management of waste recycling process and to estimate intra and inter level of interaction amongst and between the variables for respective, inductive and interactive contribution. The present study takes a look into the approach, process and impact of ongoing waste management process, followed by the both kalyani and jalpaiguri municipalities. A set of agro-ecological, socio-economic and techno managerial factors have been developed by selecting two sets of operating variables: Independent Variables: Age(x1), Education(x2), Family member(x3), Total cost of energy(x4), Household land(x5), Income(x6), Expenditure of family(x7), Volume of waste generation per household(x8), Water consumption per day(x9), Total bio diversity(x10), Impact of waste management on health(x11), Impact of waste management on agriculture(x12), Impact of waste management on livestock(x13), Impact of waste management on water(x14), Impact of waste management on soil(x15), Impact of waste management on micro flora and fauna(x16), Exposure to media(x17),Training received(x18), Participation on waste recycling programmer (x19), Perception on environmental impact of waste management(x20), Waste management at household level with value addition by percentage (x21a), Waste management at household level with value addition by percentage (x21b). Dependent variables: Volume of waste used for different purposes (y1). The following independent variables have come out with stark contribution on this consequent variable. Result suggested that in terms of variable, behavior and responses there have been stark differences between jalapaiguri and kalyani municipal areas. In kalyani, some few variables like perception of environmental impact on waste management, waste management at household level with value addition by percentage, impact of waste management on agriculture have recorded the distinct contribution on volume of waste used for different purposes and in jalpaiguri total household land, volume of waste generation from household, water consumption per day have gone in the determinant way. So, in kalyani and jalpaiguri municipal areas these variables have maximum influence on the dependent variable. Household wastes mostly are bio degradable in nature. It can be converted to organic manure which has a great nutritional value for plants and if these bio wastes can be converted into organic manure then amount of waste will be reduced. Not only bio waste but we can use non bio degradable wastes for energy production also.

Evaluating the Solvent Stark Effect from Temperature-Dependent Solvatochromic Shifts of Anthracene.

The solvent Stark effect on the spectral shifts of anthracene is studied with temperature‐dependent solvatochromic measurements. The Stark contribution Δv Stark to the absorption shift Δv p in polar solvents is measured to be Δv Stark=(53±35) cm−1, in reasonable agreement with dielectric continuum theory estimate of 28 cm−1, whereas the major shift Δv p∼300 cm−1 presumably originates from the solute quadrupole. We pay attention to the accurate correction of Δv p for the nonpolar contribution that is crucial when the shifts are modest in magnitude.

Inferring divertor plasma properties from hydrogen Balmer and Paschen series spectroscopy in JET-ILW

A parametrised spectral line profile model is formulated to investigate the diagnostic scope for recovering plasma parameters from hydrogenic Balmer and Paschen series spectroscopy in the context of JET-ILW divertor plasmas. The separate treatment of Zeeman and Stark contributions in the line model is tested against the PPP-B code which accounts for their combined influence on the spectral line shape. The proposed simplified model does not fully reproduce the Stark–Zeeman features for the α and β transitions, but good agreement is observed in the line width and wing profiles, especially for n > 5. The line model has been applied to infer radial density profiles in the JET-ILW divertor with generally good agreement between the D , , , and lines for high recycling and detached conditions. In an L-mode detached plasma pulse the Langmuir probe measurements typically underestimated the density by a factor 2–3 and overestimated the electron temperature by a factor of 5–10 compared to spectroscopically derived values. The line model is further used to generate synthetic high-resolution spectra for low-n transitions to assess the potential for parameter recovery using a multi-parametric fitting technique. In cases with 4 parameter fits with a single Maxwellian neutral temperature component the D line yields the best results with parameter estimates within 10% of the input values. For cases with 9 parameter fits inclusive of a multi-component neutral velocity distribution function the quality of the fits is degraded. Simultaneous fitting of the D and profiles improves the fit quality significantly, highlighting the importance of complementary spectroscopic measurements for divertor plasma emission studies.

Dipole moments of CH3F in the ν3 and ν6 vibrational excited states from the Stark effect

Both the parallel and perpendicular rotational Stark components of the methyl fluoride J, k, l: 2, ±1, 0←1, ±1, 0 and 2, ±1, ∓1←1, ±1, ∓1 lines in the ν3 and ν6 excited vibrational states were measured in the microwave region of ca 100GHz at the Stark fields in the range of ca 150–1100V/cm. The analysis of the Stark components was complicated by unexpected hyperfine structure patterns spanning a few MHz, which were observed for MJ components with large Stark shifts (>300MHz), most probably due to an enhancement through the Stark effect. The permanent electric dipole moments for these two vibrational states were derived from selected separated hyperfine components of the Stark components: μ3=1.90345(46)D, μ6=1.86394(32)D (the expanded uncertainties are given with the coverage factor k=2). The significant perturbational second-order Stark contributions were simply eliminated using a Stark component difference approach. Third-order Stark contributions were included in the analysis, and higher-order Stark contributions and polarizability contributions were neglected since they are inconsequential in this study.

Investigation of the LiCo1−xMgxPO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1)–graphitic carbon foam composites

LiCo1−xMgxPO4–graphitic carbon foam (LCMP–GCF with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) composites are prepared by Pechini-assisted sol-gel method and annealed with the 2-steps annealing process (T = 300 °C for 5 min in flowing air, then at T = 730 °C for t = 12 h in flowing nitrogen). The XRD analysis, performed on powders reveals LiCoPO4 as major crystalline phase, Co2P and Co2P2O7 as secondary phases. The morphological investigation revealed the formation and growth of microcrystalline “islands” which consist of acicular crystallites with different dimensions (typically 5–50 μm). By addition of Mg-ions, CV-curves of LCMP–GCF composites show a decrease of the surface between anodic and cathodic sweeps by cycling and a stark contribution of faradaic processes due to the graphitic structured foam. The electrochemical measurements, at a discharge rate of C/10 at room temperature, show the decrease of the discharge specific capacity from 100mAhg−1 for x = 0.0 to ∼35mAhg−1 for 0.025 ≤ x ≤ 0.05, then an increase to 69mAhg−1 for x = 0.1. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data reveal a decrease of the electrical resistance and the improvement of the Li-ion conductivity at high Mg-ions content into the LiCoPO4 phase (x ≥ 0.025).

Fraudulent consumer returns: exploiting retailers' return policies

PurposeAlthough dysfunctional behaviors by customers is increasingly being recognized by both scholars and practitioners, “illegitimate” complaining, in the form of fraudulent returns by customers, is under‐researched. The aim of this study is to address this gap in extant knowledge through explicitly focusing on uncovering factors which permit consumers to exploit retailers' liberal return policies when fraudulently returning products that they know they have used or damaged.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews were utilized as the main data collection method. Interviews were conducted amongst service employees and customers. A total of 87 interviews were conducted with front‐line employees and managers of 12 general retail outlets. Customer interviewing involved 96 interviews. Potential customer informants were randomly contacted with a request to participate in a study of customer service and returning goods.FindingsData analysis revealed ten main factors that appear to be related to customers' likelihood of successfully, fraudulently returning products.Research limitations/implicationsAs with other similar studies of this nature, the findings and implications are limited by the research design and methods employed. However, these limitations also indicate potentially fruitful avenues of future research. Future studies could employ different methods and explore differing contexts to gauge the generalizability of findings.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have a range of implications for practitioners and policy makers. Insights are generated into the extent of fraudulent returning and the factors which facilitate successful fraudulent returns. As such, practitioners could use such insights to reduce the frequency of such episodes. Public policy implications centre on highlighting the issues which policy makers may wish to consider.Originality/valueThe current study is the first to explore how (rather than, why) consumers exploit firms' return policies and fraudulently defraud retailers. As such, a fundamental and stark contribution centres on the finding of widespread, recidivist fraudulent returning among those interviewed. Ten facilitators of fraudulent returning were identified, providing rich insights into how customers are able, successfully, to return used and damaged products.

Using the van der Waals broadening of the spectral atomic lines to measure the gas temperature of an argon microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure

The ro-vibrational emission spectra of the molecular species are usually used to measure the gas temperature of a discharge at atmospheric pressure. However, under some experimental conditions, it is difficult to detect them. In order to overcome this difficulty and obtain the temperature, there are methods based on the relation between the gas temperature and the van der Waals broadening of argon atomic spectral lines with a Stark contribution negligible. In this work, we propose a method based on this relation but for lines with a Stark broadening comparable with the van der Waals one.

Cancellation of Stark Shifts in Optical Lattice Clocks by Use of Pulsed Raman and Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Techniques

We propose a combination of electromagnetically induced transparency-Raman and pulsed spectroscopy techniques to accurately cancel frequency shifts arising from electromagnetically induced transparency fields in forbidden optical clock transitions of alkaline earth atoms. At appropriate detunings, time-separated laser pulses are designed to trap atoms in coherent superpositions while eliminating off-resonance ac Stark contributions, achieving efficient population transfer up to 60% with inaccuracy <10(-17). Results from the wave-function formalism are confirmed by the density matrix approach.

Accurate Determination of Electron Densities in Active and Quiescent Prominences: the Mid-Infrared Advantage

We have analyzed all lines in the MIR (8 to 20 micron) spectra of a quiescent and two time-frames of an active prominence. In the quiescent prominence, in addition to those lines found by Zirker (1985), we have identified a higher excitation hydrogen line and two helium recombination lines. Accounting for instrumental broadening, we can further separate out the Doppler and the Stark contributions to the line width. The former yields maximum temperatures of 6200 K, 34000 K and 12000 K and the latter electric field strengths of 7, 17, and 10 V cm-1 for the above prominences, respectively. We show that these electric fields when divided by 2.2 are equal to the normal electric field in Holtsmark's quasi-static Stark broadening theory. Hence, we obtain electron densities of N3=2.4(0.3), 9.1(1.2), and 5.5(0.6) in units of 1010 cm-3 respectively. Using the same assumptions as made by Zirker, namely, (1) the strongest line (7-6) is optically thin, (2) the population of the lower level (n=6) is determined by direct radiative recombination and photo-ionization, (3) the equality of proton and electron densities, and (4) the thickness of the prominence is at least 108 cm, we derive a new inequality, Ne ≤ 1.83 × 108 T0.75 e-2195/T. Substituting our maximum temperatures into the right-hand side, we find upper bound Ne values of 9, 43, and 30 in the same units as above. These upper bound values are comfortably higher than our measurement, unlike those of Zirker's derived from the same set of assumptions. We have also observed the helium recombination spectrum which has been postulated by Tandberg-Hanssen as one of three possible ways of equilibrating the triplet/singlet ratio. Surprisingly, it is present in the quiescent as well as in the active prominence. We show that no meaningful values can be found for the turbulent velocities by combining the helium with the hydrogen line widths.

Sociology and New Testament Studies: A Critical Evaluation of Rodney Stark's Contribution

When Rodney Stark amended his backsliding ways and returned with self-confessed penitence to the sociology of religion after nearly a decade of pursuing false idols in other sociological specializations (Stark 1984:273), the event was heralded by such a flurry of articles appearing in such rapid succession that no one could doubt Rodney was truly back. Initially, many of these essays were focused on new religious movements, but other themes soon cropped up as well, themes with a conceptual, methodological, or even an historical focus. Few of us could have predicted, however, that Rod's far flung research ventures would eventually give rise to a burgeoning interest in New Testament studies. Yet, with New Testament specialists recently incorporating sociological analyses into their research endeavors with such lively abandon, it only seemed fair that we should reciprocate by unleashing a Stark-raving sociologist on their turf. As my contribution to this symposium, I wish to undertake: first, a critical assessment of Rod Stark's contribution to New Testament studies thus far; and second, a series of reflections on the problems endemic to conducting interdisciplinary research, with the focus squarely on, but the implications not limited to, the interface between sociology and New Testament studies.

Sociology and New Testament Studies: A Critical Evaluation of Rodney Stark's Contribution]: Response

Sociology and New Testament Studies: A Critical Evaluation of Rodney Stark's Contribution]: Response

Observations on Collisional Stark Broadening in Radio Frequency Discharges

The profiles of low Balmer lines emitted from a radio frequency discharge (N 1023 cm-3) are expected to be in the domain of collisional electron Stark broadening, except for the far parts of the line wings. In order to accomplish a more accurate comparison with the modified generalized impact theory and with the quasi-static theory (including shielding and correlation effects) for the ions , or the ions and electrons, the contributions other than Stark contributions of the observed H -profile are quantitatively evaluated. Thus for the main body of the profile, the electron broadening contribution is found small compared to that of the ions; the half-width is almost accounted for by the ion broadening contribution. However, toward the far parts of the line wing, where a transition to quasi-static electron broadening can be expected, a slow buildup of a considerable electron broadening contribution is observed, finally equaling the ion contribution.

Solvent Stark Effect and Spectral Shifts

A theory is developed for the solvent shift in the electronic absorption spectrum of a nonpolar solute in a polar solvent. The shift is regarded as composed of two components, one of which arises from the same mechanism as the London forces and is taken successfully into account by the McRae theory. The second component, the solvent Stark effect, is treated in detail here by considering polarization fluctuations in a dipolar medium surrounding a cavity. A simple result for the contribution of this component in terms of the macroscopic dielectric properties of the solution is given. The model predicts in particular that the Stark contribution to the solvent shift becomes linear in the solution dielectric constant for large values of the latter. The theoretical expression obtained here is compared with the experimental data of Weigang and Wild for the 1La transition of naphthacene, and a satisfactory fit is obtained.

The Influence of Stark Broadening on Abundance Determinations

The contribution made by the Stark effect to line-broadening mechanisms in the solar atmosphere is considered. A programme is developed whereby the Stark contribution may be computed and subsequently, through the consequent effect on the saturation function, the influence of the Stark effect on the determination of solar atmospheric abundances is obtained. In the case of sodium 1 the Stark influence on the derived abundance can be as large as a factor of two for individual lines considered; the average effect for all lines is found to be of the order of 40%.