MUPUS, the multi purpose sensor package onboard the Rosetta lander PHILAE, will measure the energy balance and the physical parameters in the near-surface layers -up to about 30 cm depth-of the nucleus of Rosetta's target comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Moreover it will monitor changes in these parameters over time as the comet approaches the sun. Among the parameters studied are the density, the porosity, cohesion, the thermal diffusivity and conductivity, and temperature. The data should increase our knowledge of how comets work, and how the coma gases form. The data may also be used to constrain the microstructure of the nucleus material. Changes with time of physical properties will reveal timescales and possibly the nature of processes that modify the material close to the surface. Thereby, the data will indicate how pristine cometary matter sampled and analysed by other experiments on PHILAE really is.

No abstract

Calcium oxalate scaling is a major practical problem in a paper mill, especially in t h e evaporators, pulp digesters, and t h e bleach room. The sources of oxalic acid were determined by analysis of mill samples. In t h e unbleached pulp mill, t h e source of oxalic acid is t h e wood. In addition, a major amount of oxalic acid was found to b e formed in t h e bleach room. A laboratory bleaching study was undertaken to establish a quantitative relationship betweeen bleaching conditions and oxalic acid production. Hardwood k r a f t pulp was bleached using three sequences. The amount of oxalic acid produced was dependent upon t h e a v a i h b l e lignin content of t h e pulp (Kappa number) and not t h e oxidant concentration or reaction temperature.

Photostimulated nonlinear optical effects in synthesized PbO–Ga2O3–Bi2O3–CdO (PGBC) glasses doped by Yb3+, Er3+, and Dy3+ rare-earth (RE3+) ions were discovered. Temperature-dependent measurements of optical photoinduced second-harmonic generation (PISHG) and two-photon absorption were performed in the infrared (IR) range. CO pulse laser (λ=5.5 μm, energy power density up to 3.8 GW/cm2 per pulse) was applied as a source of IR-photoinducing and probing (fundamental) light. Absolute values of the PISHG were more than 22% higher than corresponding values obtained for other glasses: As2Te3–CaCl2–PbCl2 [1] or Sb2Se3–BaCl2–PbCl2 [2] type. The investigated PGBC system possesses a shorter time response (about 18 ps), compared with other IR nonlinear optical glasses. We have also established that all nonlinear optical susceptibilities are dependent on the type of RE3+ ion. A maximal value of the PISHG is achieved for the glasses doped by Yb3+. The PISHG values increase significantly below 25 K. We have carried out ab initio molecular dynamics and quantum chemical simulations in order to evaluate the possible contribution of electron–phonon anharmonic interactions in the observed phenomena. We have modeled the influence of the external CO photoinduced beam through the photoinduced anharmonic electron-phonon interactions. A decrease of the delaying time response is achieved. To obtain independent confirmation of the observed dependencies, we have carried out measurements of the ε2(E) during the external IR pumping. We have also compared the measured and theoretically calculated dependencies of the IR-induced effects.